It Consumes
by Sese Daniels
Summary: Kate is an introvert often seen as weak for her size, so she overcompensates by burying herself in books to build knowledge rather than muscle. Although, a brash idiot named Keith doesn't really understand that and thinks that strength is the only way to succeed. An unlikely, yet successful partnership blossoms between the two on their adventures, and maybe even something more.
1. Chapter I

Darkness looms in everyone's shadows; it is just a matter of whether one's self acknowledges its presence or not. It consumes one's soul if looked upon, yet if it goes ignored it only makes one stronger.

Every human being has a shadow, but what is hidden within them differs for each person. Some hide hate for one another in their shadow, while others hide their pain. Some mask their regrets, grief, and sadness in their shadows, while others seal their past within it. And then there are those who mask their true evil nature within their shadows in order to go unnoticed by those who live in the light.

Demons walk amongst us every waking day, hiding within their shadows... They take us as fools, thinking that we cannot see what lies in their shadows. They can smile innocently all they want and try to make us for a fool, but their eyes are a dead giveaway. Hatred consumes one's soul just as much as bloodlust and revenge. It consumes, and the only way to defeat it is to let it go unacknowledged.

It can be unlocked unintentionally. Some may see something tragic or scarring, and the evil inside of them might just come into play. Some have tempers that consume their rational thoughts, while others may get so frustrated that they just snap.

The only way to fight darkness is with light. However, darkness consumes any shred of hope, rendering it unstoppable. Fight the evil that is darkness; stop it from overtaking the light. Stop those who are evil from smothering kind souls until they are left empty inside. Fight the darkness and pull the light out to shine high above with the stars, that is vatonage. To give life to the light that has been concealed in darkness...

"KATE!"

The book snapped close when the desk chair screeched backwards slightly, and the girl sitting in it stood up from her desk. She gingerly held the rather large hard cover within her arms, stepping out of her bedroom to glance down the staircase.

"Yes, mother?"

Fay Hitomi, Kate's mother, stood at the very bottom of the stair steps. She smiled up at her daughter, ushering her to follow. "It's almost time for you to leave soon. Finish packing your bag so you don't miss your boat!" She had curly brown hair a similar shade to Kate's and vibrant green eyes.

The girl simply nodded, returning to her room. Her name was Kate Hitomi, an eighteen-year-old with short, medium-brown hair that brushed her shoulders and middle-part bangs that barely covered her eyebrows. Her sky-kissed blue eyes glimmered when catching the light that poured in through her windows, which accented her pale skin. She stepped over to the suitcase lying atop of her blue bed without eliciting a single sound, placing the book on the very top and zipping it up.

Aside from the necessary essentials, Kate had only packed two school uniforms, her phone, and at least twenty paperbacks. She never bothered with makeup or any other girly things such as that, so there really was no need to pack such items.

Kate's passion was to read. She loved reading, both for pleasure and education. She was never much of a talker, but if the subject was books, you would have a tough time getting her to shut up. She was an introvert who's ideal day consisted of lounging on Summerland's beach with a good book for hours. She easily went through five novels a week of any genre. She enjoyed reading adventures the most, however. Despite her introverted nature, Kate desired the adventurous life the characters in her books lived. And, that was precisely why she had filled out an application to attend Almia's Ranger School, the best Pokemon Ranger Academy in the world.

It had been her dream to attend Almia's Ranger School for as long as she could remember. Living in Summerland had its perks; sure, it was a popular vacation spot and all, but it also provided young girls like Kate with the opportunity to grow up around Pokemon Rangers. Ever since she was six, she had visited Summerland's Ranger Base Leader Cameron to shadow Rangers and simply watch what they would do. Of course, this drew some attention. The Summerland Rangers had found it odd that a girl so small and so young desired to be just like them when she was older, but regardless, they welcomed her with open arms whenever she came to visit. She was a curious one, too. She would ask Cameron all sorts of questions about his life as a Ranger, (which was pretty uneventful, given that he operated in the one Fiore city with the lowest crime rate), but Kate found his stories absolutely fascinating, regardless of how simple it may be. ...such as finding an old lady's lost Skitty.

And today was finally the day that her life-long dream would come true.

Kate picked up her suitcase and straightened her posture, flicking off the lights before walking out of her room for what felt like would be the last time. Almia's Ranger School was not only in a different region than where she lived, but it was also a boarding school, meaning she would have to be away from her family as she attended her dream school. She would manage, although she would probably miss her little brother Adam the most.

Kate lifted her suitcase with her skinny arms as she walked down the stairs, careful not to ding the bottom of the suitcase on the steps. She quickly found her grinning mother waiting for her not even two feet away from the bottom of the staircase.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Fay clapped her hands together with anticipation, grinning happily. "My little baby, all grown up and going to school... It feels like yesterday you were the only just the same age as Adam!" She wiped a stray tear from her eye.

Kate could only crack a small grin at her mother's emotional state, shaking her head. "Where is Adam and Father, anyways? I want to say good-bye before I leave for the boat."

Fay placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and began leading her towards the front door. "They're already waiting by the docks to see you off! Let's go!"

Kate pushed open the front door and submerged herself into the thick, humid and sweaty atmosphere that was Summerland. The entire city was built up on interconnecting piers halfway submerged in ocean water. Her little house was closer to the beach behind Summerland which connected with the Olive Jungle, which put her a little further away from the docks that were on the other side of town. Kate and her mother calmly walked across the pier straight ahead, taking in the gentle sound of boats rocking at the docks and Wingulls flying overhead.

It wasn't long before a little five-year-old boy came into view, and he grinned goofily at the sight of Kate and Fay. "Big sister! You're here!"

Kate couldn't help but chuckle quietly as the little black-haired boy tackled her legs into a big hug, and she had to bend over to reciprocate the hug properly.

A man standing beside a boat a few feet behind Kate and Adam let out a small laugh, shaking his head at Adam. "Adam, don't knock your sister into the ocean before she leaves for school."

Adam looked behind his sister to see that they were standing rather close to the edge of the docks, only a few feet away from ocean water. "Oops... Sorry." He sweatdropped at his carelessness.

Kate simply smiled and ruffled her brother's hair gently. "I think I'm going to miss you the most."

Adam frowned, despite being touched by her words. "I'm going to miss you too..." He hugged her legs tighter, as if that would somehow keep his sister from leaving.

Adam was a sweet kid, and Kate couldn't be happier with her younger sibling. He had blue eyes that matched her own, which they both inherited from their father, Norman Hitomi. Kate got her mother's looks (with the exception of her eyes), while Adam got their father's. He was a foot shorter than Kate, who was only five feet tall. She was rather short and scrawny for her age, which caused a lot of people to wrongfully underestimate her. She read books and increased her knowledge on a daily basis to make up for it.

Kate walked hand-in-hand with her brother over to her father, who had just been joined by her mother right next to the boat. She gave them a quick hug before looking over at the boat. "I guess I should get going now..."

Adam tried to contain the urge to get watery eyes and sniffle. "Aww..."

Kate smiled sympathetically and kneeled down to his height, placing a hand on his shoulder in the same motherly fashion that her mother would do to her. "Hey now, don't get all sad on me. You know I'm going to write you a letter at least once every week, right?"

The sadness quickly melted away from Adam's face when he heard his sister say that. "Okay, good! You better!" He childishly hugged her possesively, not wanting to let go.

Fay and Norman Hitomi simply smiled at their two kids, nearly brought to tears by their closeness. Sure, they would miss their daughter while she was gone, but they knew this would be hardest for Adam in the end, even if she was going to write him a letter every week.

Kate turned to face the boat and began to board, then paused halfway. She glanced back at her family with a warm smile on her face, waving good-bye. "Wish me luck."

* * *

 **Soooooo... I felt like writing another Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia fanfiction. What do you guys think? This is going to be my vatonageshipping (Kate x Keith) retelling of the game, which will be filled with lots of comedy and romance. Please leave me reviews and tell me what you guys think!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or its characters. Also, the pictures in the cover are just one's from Google that I photoshopped together; they don't belong to me.**

 **Claimer: I own all changes to the plot and original characters. Do not copy this story, please!**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	2. Chapter II

As Kate walked across the bridge, dragging her suitcase behind her, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious about this whole ordeal. Who wouldn't be a little nervous on a day like this? All she had was one year of school to complete before being thrown directly into her dream job, which she would undoubtedly drown herself in for the rest of her life. Just like her passion for books, Kate figured once she became a Ranger, that would become her latest passion, and it would grow on her so much that she would have a hard time making herself want to do anything else.

Normal kids her age would be nervous about starting two weeks late into the year, making friends (if any), keeping good grades, and establishing whether they were popular or not. Kate, however, was not bothered by starting late, didn't care really to make any friends, knew she would effortlessly make good grades, and didn't annoy herself with thoughts about popularity. Then again, Kate wasn't really what one would consider 'normal.' Instead of being nervous about all of those other things, Kate was a little nervous about finally becoming a Pokemon Ranger, which she was now a step closer to by coming to this school.

She stopped when she found herself standing in front of a tall, wrought iron gate that barely concealed the school sitting behind it. Kate was about to fiddle with the lock and try to get it open when someone shouted to her from across the campus.

"Oh, wait!"

Kate looked up to see a middle-aged woman with bushy brown hair similar to her mother's running her way rather slowly, a little out of breath. She was dressed in a maroon-purple skirt and blouse combo, and she wore brown high heels to go with the outfit. A small, white waist-apron accented the woman's skirt.

The woman stopped at the gate and pulled out a key ring that Kate presumed held a key to every door inside and outside of the building, and the woman unlocked the gate and held it open for her.

"You must be the new student, correct?" The woman inquired, then simply let Kate inside when she merely nodded her head. "Right this way, then! My name is Janice, and I'm the caretaker for the students." The happy woman extended a hand for Kate to shake, which she did.

"I'm Kate." Kate gave her a gentle smile as they walked up the school's front steps.

"I've been instructed to take you to your entrance exam." Janice began, pointing Kate in the direction of what looked like a Training Gym, which was a small, separate building from the main school building. "Just head right on in there and I'll take your stuff to your room." Janice took Kate's heavy suitcase from her, and she was surprised at how heavy it was. What could this little girl have possibly packed to make it so heavy...?

"Thank you." Kate simply nodded her head, relieving herself from Janice's side to go inside the Training Gym.

"You will be sharing a room with Rhythimi Valentine." Janice called out to her one last time, then quietly chuckled at the look of panic on Kate's face. "Oh, don't worry. She's a really sweet girl. I'm sure you'll meet her later today!"

Kate nervously smiled as Janice walked away, then pushed open the Gym's doors and sulked inside. She had not accounted for the possibility that she would have a roommate to stay with for the rest of the year. What if she turned out to be really obnoxious and rude? Kate shook the negative thoughts from her head, trying to look on the bright side of things...which were definitely not in this room.

Kate rose an eyebrow at her surroundings, noticing that all but one of the roof lights had been turned off. The only lit one flickered occasionally, giving the room a very ominous atmosphere. All of a sudden, a small green object had been tossed to her, and if she didn't have quick reflexes it would most likely have smacked her right in the face.

Kate recognized the object in her hands as a Styler, but she wondered who had been the one to throw it to her.

"Go ahead, put it on."

Ah, probably that guy.

Kate looked up to see a man begin to emerge from the shadows in front of her; she could tell he was dressed in gym clothes and was holding a clipboard, but his face was concealed by the shadow the brim of his hat was casting. Kate shrugged her shoulders and equipped the School Styler to her right wrist, being right handed.

The man cleared his throat before speaking up. "You are the new student, correct?"

Kate nodded her head before speaking up quietly. "Yes, my name is Kate Hitomi." She introduced herself politely.

"Kate Hitomi..." The man murmured her name out loud as he scanned his clipboard for her name, then elicited a happy sound of recognition when he found her name on the list. "Ah! There you are!" The man took a Pokeball from his belt and threw it out into the space between himself and the new student, releasing a small Pikachu. "Now, are you ready to begin your exam?"

Kate simply nodded. "I just need to capture it, right?" She had seen the Summerland Rangers perform captures numerous times before, so she got the gist of the concept, but Kate had never actually attempted one herself before now.

"Yes." The man concluded. "Now. Get ready, get set...GO!"

Knowing that she was timed for this, Kate booted up her Styler quickly and released the blue capture disc right next to the Pikachu. She quickly encircled the electric-mouse Pokemon with her luminous blue-colored capture line, which shut off after a couple of seconds of looping, signaling that the capture was complete. She knew the Pokemon for the school's entrance exam wasn't going to be anything too difficult, but she didn't think it would be that easy, either...

The man simply clapped his hands, amused by her talents. "I see we have a natural here; you managed to capture the Pikachu in three seconds."

Kate almost smiled bashfully, not sure how to react properly to the compliment. She wasn't really used to being complimented by anyone outside her family; she was more accustomed to people making comments on her physical inadequacy rather than complimenting her skills.

The man tilted up the brim of his hat so that his facial features would no longer be swallowed up by the darkness, and he wore a sinister grin on his face. "Welcome to Ranger School, Kate. Your skills are quite impressive, and they have earned you a spot in our secret army... Together, we will take over the world!" He chuckled evilly, creeping Kate out just a little bit.

Kate simply blinked in confusion at the strange teacher. "You are joking, I trust...?"

"MR. KAPLAN!"

Someone's angry voice bounced off the walls of the Training Gym as all of the lights were turned on, causing Kate and the strange teacher to both wince from the harsh adjustment to the room's brightness. Kate turned to see a rather angry woman dressed in a lime-colored blouse and a green pencil skirt stomp over in their direction with her red heels; steam was practically shooting from her ears which were covered by her medium-length auburn hair.

"How many times do I have to tell you..." The woman sighed angrily, storming over to the man, who Kate figured would be Mr. Kaplan. "...not to mess with my students!" She quickly grabbed ahold of his ear and tugged on it hard, eliciting a high-pitch whimper from the overgrown child of a teacher.

"Ow ow OW! Ms. April, please! Show mercy! I'm sorry...!" Mr. Kaplan whimpered, cowering slightly in attempt to get the angry woman named Ms. April to release her firm grip on his ear.

"Hmph." Ms. April released Mr. Kaplan, turning to Kate as she completely ignored the man dramatically collapsing to the floor. "Ignore him; he's just an overgrown child." She rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips with attitude.

"Aww, don't ignore me!" Mr. Kaplan pleaded in a whiney voice, demonstrating the drastic change between the serious personality Kate had first witnessed when she came in here and what she assumed to be his real personality, which was that of a blubbering man-child who didn't like to be ignored.

Ms. April flashed him a steaming glare before landing her eyes on Kate once again. "I am Ms. April, your classes teacher. What's your name, sweetie?"

"Oh, I'm Kate. Kate Hitomi." Kate nearly forgot to introduce herself from the shock of seeing two teachers behave so informally in the presense of students, and she held her hand out to shake Ms. April's hand. Something told the brunette that this was only the beginning of the crazy, and these two teachers weren't the only ones in it.

"Nice to meet you." Ms. April smiled, walking away from the crippled Mr. Kaplan sprawled out on the floor and began guiding Kate back to the front doors. "I'm sure that your classmates are excited to meet you. How about we go and introduce you now?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders, feeling a little more at ease now. "Sure." She paused before following Ms. April out the door and hesitantly turned to face Mr. Kaplan. "Oh yeah, Mr. Kaplan? Thanks for joking around with me earlier. I think it really helped me relax a little..."

Kate flashed him the purest form of an angelic smile in the whole world. Few could make this smile and stop any human being right in their tracks, startling them with the amazement of their bright smile. That smile was Kate's secret weapon, even though she had no idea it was so infectious whatsoever and had such an effect on people. She thought it was completely normal for a person to have such a wonderful, mood-lifting smile. So, whenever she did smile like that (which she only did when she wasn't thinking about it) she affected the people around her greatly. Her smile was a guaranteed cure for sadness and depression, no matter the situation.

Mr. Kaplan, who's mood was immediately brightened by the girl's cheerful smile, simply waved good-bye to the girl. "Enjoy your school life!"

* * *

Kate pressed her ear against the classroom door, eavesdropping on the conversations being exchanged behind it. She was waiting to hear Ms. April's signal for her to enter before just walking in herself. Kate kept having to push the two strands of hair that framed her face out of her eyes as she leaned in to the door, which irritated her more than just a little bit. She was tempted to put her short hair back up in her usual spiky pigtails, but she had decided yesterday that she wouldn't wear her hair like that anymore in attempt to be taken more seriously. So, from now on, she'd wear her hair down. Even if it irritated her to no ends.

Meanwhile, inside the classroom...

Rhythimi Valentine shot a dark glare at a red-haired boy sleeping soundly at his desk across the aisle from her, annoyed that he fell asleep in class again. "Keith, wake up before Ms. April sees you!"

The red-head remained sound asleep, and all that Rhythimi's attempt to save him did was alert the teacher to the loudly-snoring student.

Ms. April's eyes landed on Keith as she entered the classroom, and all she could do was roll them, clearly not surprised. She picked up Rhythimi's Ranger Textbook off of her desk. "Mind if I borrow this for a moment?"

Rhythimi waved her off with a sinister grin. "Be my guest."

The whole class anxiously watched with anticipation as Ms. April held the textbook high above Keith's desk, then immediately dropped it onto the hard surface, triggering a loud cacophony that erupted through the classroom.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Keith shot up from his desk and practically latched onto the ceiling like a Skitty, startled from his sleep.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Keith! Swear jar!" Ms. April scolded with a scowl, returning Rhythimi's textbook to her while jabbing a finger angrily at a jar nearly filled to the top with quarters on her desk.

Keith grumbled incoherent curses to himself as he stood and plopped yet another quarter into the jar appropriately labeled 'Keith's Swear Jar.' He was the only one to ever have to put quarters in it in all of Ms. April's years of teaching, so after awhile, she just named it after him in attempt to prompt him to stop cursing in her classroom. It didn't really work, but regardless of that the whole class still found it utterly hilarious.

"Now, class." Ms. April began her announcement as soon as everything settled down, stepping up to the front of the classroom. "We have a new student joining us today." She placed herself in front of her desk, pausing her announcement and waiting for chaos to unfold, knowing her senior class all too well.

Rhythimi was the only one not surprised, having remembered Ms. April mention it the first time last week. Keith on the other hand just didn't really care all that much, although he groaned in annoyance when he realized the only empty desk in the classroom was the one next to his.

Everyone else in the classroom, however... Well, they had mixed reactions.

"Wait, really?" One student rose an eyebrow, staring at Ms. April quizzically.

"A new student? Two weeks in to the last year?"

"Well you can still graduate regardless of how many years you've been here, even if it's just one."

"I hope it's another guy! We could use more of them around here, being outnumbered by girls and all..."

"Hey! We don't outnumber you! What are you going to do if it's another girl!?"

"Are they cute, cool, or look like a celebrity?"

"Where are they from?"

"What's their name? Oh, oh, oh! What do they look like!?"

"Settle down, class. Settle down..." Ms. April chuckled, ushering the kids to sit back down in their seats and calm down with her hands. "Why don't you just see for yourself?"

Hesitantly, the door opened, and a girl stepped inside the classroom before gingerly shutting the door. All eyes were on her in an instant, which did make her feel a little uncomfortable.

Everyone seemed to awe at the new student and immediately turn their attention to her, while Keith didn't care enough to look at her right away. He turned his head eventually and landed his eyes on her petite form, staring at her features with a look of disinterest. She was pathetically short and scrawny, and would probably only come up to his shoulders if they stood side-by-side. Short medium-brown hair dusted at her shoulders, making her sky-kissed blue eyes stand out against her pale skin. She was adorned in the school's uniform of blue denim shorts, a blue blouse, a green jacket, a yellow tie, and brown boots. Honestly, to Keith, she looked like nothing special. She looked just like another one of Rhyth's species: way-too-cheery wannabe Operators.

"Class, this is Kate Hitomi." Ms. April started her introduction, placing her hand on Kate's shoulder. Keith almost laughed out loud to see that Kate was shorter than Ms. April, who he had originally thought to be the shortest woman he'd ever met. "She comes to us from Fiore to study to be a Pokemon Ranger."

Now that statement nearly had Keith choke on air and fall backwards right out of his chair. That tiny little thing wanted to be a Ranger? The same profession as him? HAH! There was no way she would last a day in this school. Being so tiny, how could she possibly handle such a rough, physically-active job? She would get squashed like a bug on her first day, no doubt. The job of a Pokemon Ranger should be left up to tall, strong guys like him.

Keith was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even hear Ms. April assign the new girl to sit next to him, whatever her name was.

Kate took her seat quietly next to a strange red-haired guy that was completely spaced out and making a stupid face while lost in thought...what a weirdo. She pulled a book out of her bag and immediately began reading, tuning out the rest of Ms. April's chatter. It's not like she was saying anything important; she was basically just explaining that she would change the class schedule today to act as a study hall period for Kate's sake.

Ms. April leaned her hand on Rhythimi's desk as they both just looked at the quiet, socially-inept Kate. "She's a bit of a quiet one, isn't she?"

"That's what it sure looks like." Rhythimi watched Kate read her book, amazed at how she read four pages per minute. "It might be tough for me to befriend her, even if she is my roommate..." She began doubting her social skills with a sweatdrop, unsure if she'd be able to make this one come out of her comfort zone and socialize with the other kids.

"Oh, don't say that." Ms. April patted her on the head. "If you can't break her out of her shell, then no one can." The teacher reassured the blonde with a smile. "You won't mind touring her around the school later, would you?" She asked her student the rhetorical question before walking back to her desk to grab some papers.

Rhythimi sighed as she watched Ms. April walk away, then landed her eyes back on Kate again. "Something tells me this will be a challenge..."

Rhythimi was easily the most social and easy to get along with girl in the entire Ranger School. Since her freshman year in Ms. April's class, she had been assigned the task of touring any new students around the school and get them adjusted to school life, and there wasn't a single time where her charm didn't work. Although looking at Kate had her doubting herself just a little. She had been informed ahead of time that this new student would be her new roommate, since her roommate for the previous three years dropped out and decided to pursue a different career. Rhythimi didn't mind, and she was excited to have a girl as a best friend for a change, but seeing this anti-social girl was a little disappointing. She didn't doubt that Kate was a nice person or anything, but she did seem...different. A bit small size-wise, quiet, and anti-social, which weren't the usual characteristics of a wannabe Ranger. Rhythimi definitely had her work cut out for her...

Ms. April walked across the classroom and opened the door, carrying a stack of papers to grade with her. "I'll be in the Teacher's Lounge if anyone needs me. Use your study period wisely!" She shut the door quietly behind her, and the students listened to the clicking of her heels walking down the hallway.

It only took three seconds for the unsupervised classroom to fall into complete chaos.

Every single student shot up from their chairs and formed a circle around Kate, berating her with questions of any kind. However, the brunette didn't even notice and just continued to read her book, completely ignoring them all. They were a bit discouraged by her silence, and some of them even went back and sat down at their desks. That is, until a certain red-head joined in.

"Yo, newbie." Keith stood up, fixing his eyes on the girl. "I forgot your name, and the reason why I care, but how long did it take you to capture that Pikachu? An hour?" He laughed at his own joke as the rest of the class laughed with him.

...

He raised an eyebrow when she didn't respond, and he leaned over her shoulder and tried to get her attention again. "Hey, did you hear me? I'm talking to you!"

...

Still nothing.

Keith hated being ignored just so she could read some damn book, so naturally he removed the source of her attention so it would be fixated on him: her book.

Kate snapped her eyes wide open when someone jerked the book she was reading out of her hands, and she immediately shot up from her desk. They guy with flaming red hair who sat next to her was holding her book high above her head with a taunting smirk on his face, clearly amused.

"Hey! Give that back!" Kate bitterly glared at Keith, trying to snatch her book back.

Every time she tried to grab it, Keith just held it higher and higher. "Nope. Not until you answer my question!" He laughed, fully enjoying torturing her. He was six feet tall, so he could do this all day.

Kate crossed her arms in a huff and tapped her foot on the ground irritably. "It only took me three seconds. Now give me my book back!" Kate jumped to try and grab her book again, but Keith only jerked it from her grasp once more.

"Oh, so you did hear me then?" Keith chuckled, leaning forwards and bursting Kate's personal space bubble. "I don't think it's very smart for a tiny girl like you to just ignore me."

Kate only rolled her eyes. "I'm sure nothing you consider a thought in that tiny brain of yours is considered smart." Her sarcasm rolled off her tongue with ease, causing the class to roar with laughter.

Keith's face reddened slightly with anger. "Oh hah hah. Very funny, Shorty." He smirked at her, watching a vein bulge from her forehead at the rude nickname.

"Leave her alone, Keith." The blonde girl named Rhythimi narrowed her grey eyes at him, stepping into the circle of students and placing herself at Kate's side.

Keith only rolled his red eyes. "Whatever. I was getting bored with her anyways."

Rhythimi just scoffed. "Yeah, right." She turned to Kate, instantly ignoring Keith. "You're better off ignoring him. He's just an arrogant idiot who thinks he's better than everyone else."

"I gathered that much." Kate commented, snatching her book back from Keith when he was caught off guard. She slipped her book back into her satchel, flashing the jerk who took it from her a quick glare.

Keith scoffed, trying to ignore their snarky remarks about him.

"I'm Rhythimi, by the way." Rhythimi smiled at Kate, introducing herself. "I've been instructed to tour you around the school." She ushered Kate towards the door. "Follow me, if you will."

Kate simply nodded her head, not saying anything else. She followed behind Rhythimi, leaving the classroom with the perky blonde girl.

Keith carelessly sat on top of his desk, glaring at the door the two girls just left through. So what's-her-name was a feisty one, eh? Maybe Shorty wouldn't be so boring after all.

* * *

 **Yikes, that was a decent length for a chapter. I had to break up the first day into two parts, so bear with me for the wait! The second part will be on its way soon ^-^**

 **By the way, when I first played the game, I thought Rhythmi's name was spelled, "Rhythimi." I have no idea why (then again, I was like 9 or 10 years old)...so I just wanted to say that that's how her name will be spelled in this book, so don't try to correct me. I know it's technically wrong, but just humor me. Sorry, it just feels so wrong to spell it correctly and it drives me crazy XD**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter III

"You mentioned you were going to tour me around the school, correct?" Kate's eyes found themselves resting on Rhythimi's smiling face right as they left the classroom.

Rhythimi just sweatdropped. Kate wasn't really one for small talk, was she? "Uh, yes. That's right." The blonde was a little thrown off by how polite and formal she always spoke. "I guess...we'll just start off with the other classroom...?" Her words sounded more like a question rather than a statement.

Kate plodded behind Rhythimi as the blonde took her across the hallway, stopping in front of another classroom door. Kate wrinkled her nose immediately when she smelled something foul seeping into the air up from under the door, trying as hard as she could not to cough violently and inhale the vile stench.

Rhythimi had a similar reaction to the smell but was unalarmed, pinching her nose shut as she spoke. "This is Mr. Kincaid's room. He's a real strictler for the rules, so make sure not to do anything he doesn't like, especially running in the hallways." Rhythimi's voice sounded funny since she wasn't breathing through her nose, and it took all of Kate's remaining strength not to quietly laugh at her. If she laughed, she risked breathing in that awful smell, and that was just not a risk Kate was willing to take. "That terrible smell bringing tears to my eyes right now is his hairspray. If you ask me, or anyone really, he uses way too much for his own good. And his hair looks stupid anyways, so it's just a real waste in the end..."

Kate nearly lost it at the sarcastic look on Rhythimi's face, and the blonde quickly ran away from the classroom and dragged Kate with her. They walked across the brown wooden floors and passed by a small infirmary, then continued proceeding forwards until they reached a room labeled "Teacher's Lounge."

Rhythimi ushered Kate to go inside with a soft smile on her face. "Go on, don't be shy!"

Kate blinked before doing as asked. The shorter girl stepped inside cautiously, widening her eyes slightly at the sight of the room. A very long, narrow table took up most of the space as it sat vertically right in the middle, and Kate immediately saw Ms. April seated at it to her right grading papers. A large tapestry with the Ranger's emblem embroidered on it hung from the ceiling in the back, and a man she didn't recognize was standing up and admiring it with his back turned to the two girls.

He had grey hair and a grey mustache, and Kate could barley make out the outline of a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. The man was dressed in a plain brown suit, and she could've sworn she saw a pocket watch chain hanging out of his pocket.

"Who...?" Before Kate could finish forming her question, Rhythimi pointed to him and answered it.

"That's our Principal, Principal Lamont." Rhythimi grinned, turning to Kate and ushering her out the door. "He's a real nice guy, unlike Mr. Kincaid, and he tries his hardest to give us the best education he can."

Kate nodded her head, following Rhythimi over to the right. She soon found herself standing in front of two large doors, and Rhythimi hesitated before walking in.

"...is something wrong?" Kate blinked her big, bubbly, sky-kissed blue eyes at Rhythimi innocently, wondering if her blonde roommate was alright.

Rhythimi swallowed the lump in her throat before shoving the doors open and rushing inside. "D-don't be silly! I'm fine!" Kate picked up that she was nervous from her tone, but the brunette wasn't sure what exactly it was that she was nervous about.

Kate blew her bangs out of her eyes irritably before following Rhythimi inside, and she nearly fell over with surprise at the sight of this room.

"Welcome to the Library, Kate." Rhythimi turned to smile at Kate with her arms outstretched. "Or as most of us call it, Keith's 'napping room.'"

Kate stood frozen in place as she let her eyes follow the several rows and columns of shelves filled with books, and she had to guess that there were at least two thousand books in here, if not more. She smiled beautifully again without thinking, just as she had done with Mr. Kaplan earlier, and was too lost in her own world to see Rhythimi's reaction to it.

Rhythimi let out a small gasp at the sight of Kate's smile before she found herself warmly smiling in return. She might be socially-inept just a bit, but wow did she have the most stunning smile Rhythimi had ever seen...

"I take it you like to read?" Rhythimi chuckled, snapping Kate out of her daydream.

Kate let her eyes remain fixated on all of the books as she breathlessly formed her reply. "Like to read? No, I love it..."

Rhythimi giggled at how adorable Kate was right now. Alright, so she might not be the most talkative roommate ever, but she figured she'd at least be able to get along with her. This couldn't be too bad of an arrangement, right?

"Rhythimi, is that you?"

The blonde in question froze at the male voice behind her. Kate rose an eyebrow at the whole ordeal as Rhythimi nervously turned to look over her shoulder.

"Oh, Isaac, I didn't notice you there... Hah hah... Hah..." Rhythimi elicited an awkward laugh, nervously grinning at the boy behind her.

A boy matching Rhythimi's height (just four inches short of six feet tall), stared directly at the blonde with a small smile on his face. He had blonde hair as well and matching grey eyes, but his hair was cut...like a mushroom?

"I thought that was you." Isaac smiled, stepping up to Kate and Rhythimi. "Oh, who is this?" His eyes met Kate's, and he flashed the brunette a welcoming grin.

Rhythimi seemed too stunned by Isaac's presence to form a proper response, so Kate took the initiative to introduce herself. "Oh, I'm new. My name is Kate Hitomi." She held out her hand for Isaac to shake, which he did.

Isaac simply chuckled at Rhythimi's shocked state. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kate. I take it Rhythimi is showing you around the school?"

"Yes, she was kind enough to do that for me." Kate gently smiled and kept a straight face, jabbing Rhythimi's side with her elbow harshly in attempt to get her to snap out of it.

Kate figured that it must have worked, because Rhythimi suddenly jolted with surprise. "W-well we should probably resume the tour so I'll just be leaving you now BYE!" She grabbed Kate's hand and ran out of the Library at an impossible speed, dragging the poor girl with her.

Isaac sweatdropped, watching Rhythimi bolt out of the Library as fast as a Dodrio, if not a little faster than that. "Oh, uh...okay? Good-bye, Rhythimi!"

Kate simply ogled Rhythimi with the most weirded out look ever when they found themselves outside the Library. "What was that?"

Rhythimi shook her head at Kate's formality before hesitantly squeaking out a reply. "It's...nothing. Don't worry about it." She awkwardly ran a hand through her bushy blonde hair before walking over to the stairs. "Anyways, let's resume the tour!"

Kate kept her mouth shut and didn't mention it again, figuring she didn't want to talk about it right now, if at all. She plodded behind Rhythimi until they stopped in front of two staircases.

Rhythimi motioned towards the staircase that lead down into a dark floor of the school. "That's Mr. Kincaid's basement. We're not allowed to go in there." Kate nodded her head, then followed Rhythimi's pointed finger with her eyes until it landed on the staircase going upstairs. "Upstairs are where our dorm rooms are, so let's make our way in that direction." Rhythimi absentmindedly began her ascent up the stairs, forgetting to make sure that Kate was following her.

The brunette was a little caught off guard by her sudden movement, but she quickly jogged to catch up. Since Kate's legs were considerably shorter than Rhythimi's (and practically everyone else's around her...), she had a harder time matching her pace than a normal person probably would.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Kate noticed that it was divided into two hallways: the one to her left was pink, and to her right was a blue hallway filled with dorm rooms. The wall's colors made it painfully obvious which half of the dorms belonged to those of her gender. In the center where the two hallways met was a Commons Area of some sort with a few couches and a coffee table, which appeared to act as a student lounge of some sort.

"Huh... That's strange." Rhythimi mused out loud, curiously looking around the room for someone. "Usually Janice is up here, but I guess she's busy. She's probably raking leaves out in the School Yard or something..." She shrugged her shoulders, then pivoted on her heel and marched over to the left. Rhythimi stopped in front of the first door in the pink hallway. "Here, Kate." The blonde handed her a small key. "This is our room. Wanna come look inside for a minute?"

Kate quietly nodded her head, stuffing the key into her pocket. She followed Rhythimi's lead into the dorm room, and nearly gagged at the sight of how pink it was. Wayyyy too girly for her taste... Kate was always a fan of blue and green colors, not so much...well, pink. To her left was a set of bunk beds, and the bottom one looked unused, which she figured would be her bed. She instantly spotted her suitcase positioned next to it on top of the hot pink rug, and pushed up against the window on the back wall was a small, empty desk.

Rhythimi stepped over to the desk, placing her fingertips on it to direct Kate's attention to it. "I figured I would give you the desk, since you're kind of stuck with the bottom bunk..." She sheepishly grinned, scratching at the back of her head.

Kate smiled softly, nodding her head. "Thank you... That was rather considerate."

Rhythimi sweatdropped again at her formality. "So... Would you like to tour the grounds now?"

"That sounds nice." Kate nodded her head, following the blonde out the door and locking it behind her.

The two girls walked together in an awkward silence all the way to the front doors of the school. Rhythimi tried a countless number of times to strike up a conversation, but Kate had inadvertently shot down every topic she pitched. They just didn't have anything in common! Rhythimi was so not used to trying to break introverts out of their shell, so looking back on the task Ms. April had originally assigned her to do, she realized that it was just impossible! She couldn't get Kate to talk! Rhythimi was starting to think she'd dread the rest of the school year, having to live with all of these awkward silences and brief moments of eye contact. She was just so...quiet. And she actually found it kind of intimidating.

Rhythimi pushed open the doors, starting to step outside onto the grass. "So, this is the School Yard, and..."

"AHHH!"

Rhythimi and Kate immediately jolted with surprise at the high-pitch shriek, nearly jumping out of their skin. Their eyes scanned the perimeter for the source of the scream until they landed on a woman standing in the middle of the School Yard, surrounded by agitated Bidoofs on the rampage: Janice, the missing caretaker.

"Janice!" Rhythimi's eyes widened in shock, and she slapped her hands on the sides of her face. "Oh my gosh, Kate! You have to do something about those Bidoof!"

Kate was already ahead of her and was about to lunge forwards to get a running start when a brusque, calloused hand nearly the size of her face grabbed her shoulder, holding her back.

Kate turned her head with utmost confusion to look at who it was, and she narrowed her eyes when she saw it was that red-head from earlier. "Oh. You."

Keith threw his head back and laughed at her annoyance. "Disappointed that it's me, Shorty?"

Kate stiffened her posture, clenching her fists. "Stop calling me that."

Keith rolled his eyes, then leaned closer to her with a smirk on his face. "Well, since I can't remember your name for the life of me, I'm just going to call you that instead."

Kate gritted her teeth as hard as she could in order to keep herself from slapping him. She might be the most polite, adorably petite girl you'd ever meet for someone her age, but she definitely wasn't one to hold back when there was a need to punch someone.

"Keith, would you just stop picking on her already and just help!?" The eighteen-year-old blonde scolded him, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. "AND WOULD IT REALLY KILL YOU TO BOTHER TO LEARN HER NAME!?" Rhythimi screamed, extremely frustrated with his brash rudeness.

Keith just laughed at her. "Probably." Ignoring the steam shooting out of red-faced Rhythimi's ears, Keith refocused his gaze on the chaotic Bidoof rampage. "Well, I guess I can help, but it would be boring if we just captured them normally..." He sighed thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

Kate saw his sinister grin and sensed a challenge coming, and she raised an eyebrow at the red-head. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

Keith grinned, delighted that she wasn't the idiot he first made her out to be. "Just me and you, a one-on-one capture challenge. Whoever captures the most Bidoof wins. Whaddayah say, Shorty?" He leaned in closer to her face, flashing her a taunting smirk.

Kate was too enraged by his insulting nickname for her to hold her tongue and be polite. "You're on, you unintelligible twit." She spun on her heel and immediately ran onto the battlefield before giving Keith the chance to respond to her insult.

Rhythimi simply gaped at Keith's shocked, angry face, trying to smother her laughter. As soon as the red-head recovered from her strangely well mannered insult, he took off running towards the closest Bidoof. "THREETWOONE GO!"

Kate ran and captured Bidoof after Bidoof, trying to keep them away from an unarmed Janice. The caretaker didn't have a Styler, and even if the Pokemon were Bidoof, they could still attack her if properly motivated. Kate performed speedy quick captures, trying her hardest to focus and not slip up. She was a little slower with her captures at first, but after catching three Bidoof and getting the hang of it, she managed to catch her fourth within two seconds. She didn't see any more running around, so she calmly returned to the center of the School Yard only to find a smirking Keith with five Bidoof waiting for her.

Kate crossed her arms and huffed, avoiding eye contact with the smirking idiot. "I guess you win..." She grumbled quietly under her breath, fiercely avoiding Keith's gaze.

Keith puffed up his chest and struck a pose arrogantly, a little too proud of his accomplishment. "Of course I win! I am the current record holder for the best Ranger Student in our school, after all." He boasted, not paying much attention to the dark aura surrounding Kate.

Rhythimi ran up to the two with Janice; a look of amazement was written across her face. "Wow! You guys totally rocked!"

"You two looked good together." Janice smiled, then glanced down at the nine Bidoof before her. "I'm really sorry that I accidentally stepped on your tail... How about I make it up to you by making you some really tasty treats?"

The now calm Bidoof quickly surrounded Janice, yipping happily in response to her offer. The three Ranger Students watched her walk away with the nine Bidoof plodding behind her before resuming their previous conversation.

"I never would have thought you to be competitive, Kate!" Rhythimi giggled, watching as Kate rolled her eyes.

"Occasionally, I suppose I can slip up and lose my composure..." Kate grumbled with her arms crossed over her flat chest, still a little irritable about her loss.

"Hey." Keith laughed, calming down as a new sense of respect for the brunette washed over him. "You're not too bad for a newbie. Of course your captures are nothing compared to mine..." Keith yelped when Rhythimi whacked him hard over the head for that insult. "...but like I was GOING to say," he flashed Rhythimi an angry glare, "I'd rate your captures 65 out of 100."

Kate scoffed. "Wow, thanks. Just a little over half decent." She rolled her eyes, still refusing to look at Keith.

Rhythimi watched the exchange between the two suspiciously, and a knowing smirk crept up onto her face. The match-maker side of her already was itching to jump and try to get these two together, but her brain told her to simply work on getting them to be friends first before she tried anything else. "Well, Kate... I have just one more place to show you, if you'd just follow me." She walked in-between her best friend and roommate, heading towards the west side of the School Yard to their left.

Yes, best friend. Although they didn't look it, or especially act like it, Keith and Rhythimi had been best friends since they were...about eight years old, maybe? Their houses were right next door to each other in Pueltown, and they had grown up together since Rhythimi had moved from Floaroma Town in Sinnoh. They probably wouldn't be such close friends if they hadn't met at such a young age, given their overwhelming, completely polar opposite personalities.

"Heading to Ascension Square?" Keith inquired, practically reading her mind.

"Of course." Rhythimi looked over her shoulder at him with a sarcastic grin. "Where else?"

"Then I guess I'll come too." Keith shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his chin up high, trying to act all high-and-mighty in front of Rhythimi. Although his attempt at showing no interest in Kate whatsoever as he walked away from her completely failed when Rhythimi caught him sneak a quick glance at the brunette out of the corner of his eye.

Rhythimi grinned knowingly to herself, ushering Kate to follow. "Come on, Kate!"

Kate ran to catch up with the two as the sun began to go down and turn the sky a vibrant orange. She followed Keith and Rhythimi down a rather steep flight of stairs that led into a small, open field of grass that bordered the ocean and the cliff that the school was built up on. It was framed by leafy-green trees, and a small pier allowed students to step out and hover above the ocean. A large, grey stone statue in the shape of the Ranger's emblem was built into the side of the cliff, looking over the square.

"She doesn't say much, does she?" Keith quietly asked Rhythimi, making sure Kate couldn't hear as he walked with the blonde with his hands in his pockets.

 _"Except for when she's around you."_ Rhythimi rolled her eyes, mentally thinking that to herself. "No, not really..." She answered Keith's question, then stopped to face him. "But have you seen her smile yet?"

"Her smile?" Keith scoffed, thrown off by that question. "Why the hell should I care about that?"

Rhythimi smiled and shook her head, then gently turned Keith's body around to face Kate. "Just look."

Kate looked around in awe at Ascension Square; her breath was taken away by its stunning beauty. She watched the warm sunset over the ocean's horizon, captivated by its calming allure. And, just as Rhythimi had predicted, Kate unconsciously let that gorgeous smile of hers stretch across her face as she became entranced with the sunset.

Keith practically had the wind knocked out of him when he saw her smile, and the arrogant facade he had going for him quickly melted off his face as he stared at Kate, completely mesmerized by her smile. Never in his life had he seen such a pure smile before, especially from someone like her.

"Hehe..." Rhythimi giggled, nudging Keith with her elbow. "I told you so."

* * *

 **DONE! And chapter three is up! Well, that's all for today, I'm afraid. It's late, I just got off work, and I have school tomorrow. Oh how I hate Mondays...**

 **Well, what do you guys think so far? Please leave me reviews! The vatonageshipping always comes on too quick in my books, so I'm trying REALLY hard to hold back and make their romance develop more slowly. Books like that are always better anyways, right? Well, at least that's what I think.**

 **Anyways, that's all! Read, review, and please enjoy my story!**


	4. Chapter IV

"Hey there, Kate..." Rhythimi awkwardly grinned, staring at the brunette reading a book in her bed.

Kate looked up from her book to shoot Rhythimi a quick glance before beginning to read it once again. "...Hi?"

Rhythimi tried her best to strike up a conversation of some sort, despite being very uncomfortable with how quiet it was right now. "How was your first day today?"

"Fine, I guess..." Kate half payed attention to her, continuing to read to herself. Rhythimi blinked owlishly as she watched Kate manage to read at an average pace of five pages per minute this time.

...

 _"This is useless! She just doesn't talk!"_ Rhythimi screamed inside her mind, internally frustrated. "So...what do you like to do?"

Kate glanced at her with a mildly annoyed look, trying not to appear rude. "I like to read, especially this book. Which I'm going to do now." Kate shot down any chance at conversation, going back to her book once again.

Rhythimi sweatdropped, running a hand through her bushy blonde hair. "I see..."

...

And then, Rhythimi suddenly had a thought as to what to ask Kate next.

"What's it about?"

Kate was so startled by her question that she was certain she misheard it. "Pardon...?" Kate stared at Rhythimi wide-eyed, not expecting her to ask that.

Rhythimi smiled, internally doing a victory dance at the sight of Kate's piqued interest. "What's your book about?"

Kate blinked owlishly a few times before hesitantly speaking more than a few words at a time. "It's a book about the first king of Almia being tricked into using dark power by a Pokemon named Darkrai and being corrupted by it..." She rested the book in her lap, staring straight down. "His three sons were the only ones with the power to save him, except all but one were too blinded by their greedy desire to take the throne to do anything about it..." Kate twiddled her thumbs as she spoke quietly. "Greedy Princes Red and Yellow were banned to Boyleland and the Haruba Desert, while the King had Prince Blue remain in Almia Castle and take over the throne after he died. The King took Darkrai's curse to the grave, and it is said that his evil spirit is sealed in a dark crystal of some sort that remains guarded by Darkrai to this day somewhere in Almia, as if the Pokemon is just waiting for the King's spirit to come back to him one day to control once again..." She looked off into the distance through the window behind her, feeling a little drained from talking so much, which wasn't something she typically did.

Rhythimi giggled, despite the serious subject matter of the book. "Wow, Kate... I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk at once!"

Kate's face flushed slightly, a little embarrassed. "I suppose... I just, I don't...really care for idle chatter." She sweatdropped a little, tripping over herself to force out that sentence.

Rhythimi grinned at the ever adorable Kate, then stood up from where she sat at her dresser. "How about we sneak out for a bit?"

Kate shot her an unamused stare. "I don't actually have a say in this matter, do I?" She sighed, not really wanting to go anywhere. And besides, wasn't it against the rules to wander around campus past curfew?

"Nope!" The perky blonde laughed, glad that she caught on. She jerked Kate up from her position on the bed and dragged her out the door, leaving the book she was reading behind as it lay abandoned and face down on her bed, just waiting for her to return.

* * *

"What took you so long, Rhyth!?" Keith scolded her as soon as the blonde came into sight and met up with him in the Commons Area.

"Sorry, it's hard to tear this one away from a book." Rhythimi rolled her eyes, placing her hand on Kate's head when she dryly said 'this one.'

Kate looked around quizzically, noticing that several students from both classes were out past curfew and were waiting in the Commons Area for something. Now that the sun was down and no lights were on in the school, darkness loomed in the shadows of every hallway, ominously masking the silence.

"Why is everyone out here...?" Kate posed her question, although she had a hinting suspicion that she would soon regret it.

Rhythimi outstretched her arms with a large grin plastered on her face. "Kate, it's time for your initiation!" She exclaimed quietly with enthusiasm, trying to keep her voice down.

"My what?" Kate deadpanned, losing control of her neck for a moment as she forgot to keep holding her head up from the shock.

Rhythimi chuckled at her reaction. "Oh relax, it's just a little thing every new student has to do. Even I did it when I first came here!" She reassured, patting the shorter girl on the shoulder with a little too much force.

Keith smirked with his muscular arms crossed over his chest, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. "Yeah, and if I remember right, you also were the only one to ever lock yourself outside the building and have to wait until Janice came and found you the next morning."

Everyone threw their heads back and laughed, simultaneously trying to keep their voices down.

Rhythimi just sweatdropped, completely mortified. "That was so not necessary to bring up..." She pouted, fully embarrassed.

Keith rolled his eyes and strided over to Kate, peering down at the tiny girl with a grin on his face. "Ready for your test of courage, Shorty?"

Kate stuck out her bottom lip to pout, which only made Keith laugh in response. "Fine. What are the rules?"

Recovered from her complete mortification, Rhythimi piped up and began to explain the rules. "It's simple. Four of us have hidden our Stylers in these four rooms downstairs: both classrooms, the Teacher's Lounge, and the Library. All you have to do is find them and plunk them down in front of the basement door!" She smiled brightly, giving Kate the feeling that this task was easier said than done.

Kate rose an eyebrow at the blonde. "You mean the basement we are forbidden to enter?" She only sighed when Rhythimi nodded her head. "I don't think you have thought this through. Won't Mr. Kincaid just find the Stylers in the morning when he goes down there?" She shot Keith and Rhythimi a questioning look, doubting their seemingly full-proof plan.

Keith snapped his fingers and pointed at Rhythimi. "Exactly, and that's where blondie's boyfriend comes into play!"

Rhythimi fumed at that suggestive comment, clenching her fists. "Keith, for the thousandth time, he is not my..."

"Yada yada yada, I know, I know." Keith rolled his eyes, opening and closing his hand several times to mock Rhythimi's nagging. "Have you met Isaac yet, Shorty?" The red-head tuned out Rhythimi's obsessive incoherent babbling, stealing a glance at the brunette.

"Yes, I believe so." Kate nodded her head with her index finger pressed to her lips. "Although I can't say I know much about him, since Rhythimi ran out of there so fast that I didn't even get the chance to really talk with him..."

Keith wasn't surprised, but he was definitely amused to hear that. He shot his friend a sly smirk and watched as Rhythimi slowly sunk back into her skin. "Well, Isaac is actually here to become a scientist, and he's...well, freakishly smart." Keith had trouble thinking of a way to accurately describe Isaac to someone who hadn't really talked with the guy before. "He's a bit of a bookworm too..." Keith was about to make fun of Isaac's love of books when he caught sight of Kate's death glare. Suddenly remembering that she was also a bookworm, he just cleared his throat. "...anyways, Isaac is in Mr. Kincaid's class, and he's always down in the basement with him helping out with extra projects of some sort. All we have to do is let him know about our schedule ahead of time, and he takes care of the rest." Keith concluded, watching as Kate finally understood.

"I see." Kate nodded her head, darting her eyes over to glance at Rhythimi. "Is that all, or can I get started now?"

Now it was time for Rhythimi to be the one smirking. "Just one more thing." She casually stepped up to Keith and Kate, flashing her smirk in the red-head's direction. "It's not safe to go alone, so our rule is that whoever you sit next to in class has to come with you."

Kate shook her head and held up her hand to share a thought. "Wait a minute. I sit in the aisle, so the only person that I actually sit next to is..." She exchanged eye contact with the groaning boy in front of her, quickly changing her mood to a bitter one. "No way."

"Aww, man... ME!?" Keith whined, glaring at Rhythimi. "Rhythimi, can't you just go? You guys seem all chummy anyways..." He grumbled, crossing his arms irritably.

Rhythimi defiantly shook her head. "Nope. You two are stuck together!" She held two flashlights in her hands, trying to contain the urge to bust out laughing at just how upset these two were about being stuck with each other. "Better get going while the night is still young~!" She cheekily threw in that last cheesy line, ducking Keith's punch.

"Just give me the damn flashlight..." Keith snatched one from the blonde's hand, storming over to the dark staircase without waiting for Kate to catch up.

"H-hey, wait!" Kate grabbed her flashlight and ran after him, annoyed by his rudeness.

Rhythimi high-fived another student as she watched the two go down the stairs. "Now this should be interesting."

* * *

Kate found Keith waiting for her halfway down the stairs. He leaned up against the wall casually, looking as if he had been standing like that forever rather than just a few seconds. When Kate plodded down the stairs and found herself standing in front of him, Keith's eyes snapped open, and Kate looked up at him.

"I suppose I just pick a room to start with, correct?" Kate rose an eyebrow, genuinely asking her question.

"Yeah." Keith shrugged, not really caring. "Doesn't really matter to me where we start. It's up to you, Shorty."

"My name is Kate." Kate narrowed her eyes at the red-head as she gripped her flashlight tightly. "I would appreciate it if you actually used it." She ignored his groan in annoyance. "We should at least try to get along with one another in order to get through this test of courage at a quicker pace."

"Fine." Keith rolled his eyes before pushing himself off the wall, resuming his activity of going down the stairs. "But you've gotta stop doing that weird thing you do, too."

"Pardon?" Kate rose an eyebrow, drawing her head back slightly in shock.

"That." Keith stopped, pointing to her. "You talk way too formal, and it's making me uncomfortable. Talk like a normal person and I'll start calling you by your name." He smirked, looking at her over his shoulder.

"I suppose I could..." Kate started to say before pausing at Keith's glower, shrinking back into her skin a little. "...I mean... Fine, I'll do it." She corrected herself, dulling down her vocabulary.

Keith grinned to himself. "Much better, Kate." She smiled at the sound of him using her real name, but Keith just narrowed his eyes in disgust. "I don't know about this, it just feels wrong to call you anything but 'Shorty.'"

"Hey!" Kate protested, throwing her balled up fists down to her sides as steam shot out of her ears.

Her reaction brought out a laugh from the red-head who resumed walking down the stairs, and he just left her standing there. She trudged on after him, annoyed as ever. Although, she wasn't trudging for long, since she ran face-first into his back at the bottom of the steps.

"Oof!" Kate grunted from the impact, a little dazed. "Hey, why'd you stop?" She tried her best to sound informal, not really used to it just yet, but she was trying.

"Uh...no reason." She felt Keith's body stiffen ever so slightly as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding onto his flashlight tightly.

Kate just rose an eyebrow. "Keith, are you afraid of the dark or something...?"

Keith scoffed, shaking his head. "What!? NO!" A sudden shuffling noise across the hallway sent Keith into a panic, and he had a hard time masking his shaky voice. "W-what w-was that?"

Kate pointed her flashlight in the direction of the noise, and it landed on a Bidoof maybe twenty feet away. "A Bidoof." Kate deadpanned, staring at the harmless Pokemon as if it was the dumbest thing ever.

Keith awkwardly cleared his throat. "...oh. I knew that, I was just testing you."

"Uh huh." Kate chuckled, shaking her head again. "You're a grown eighteen-year old, and..."

"Nineteen." Keith quickly corrected, raising an eyebrow at her.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're a grown nineteen-year-old afraid of the dark." She laughed quietly, noticing Keith's burning cheeks. "That's kind of cu...funny. That's funny." She quickly corrected herself, nearly about to slip up and call Keith cute. ...that would've been awkward.

"Shut up..." Keith grumbled, crossing his arms. "Let's just get this over with already."

Kate giggled as she stepped out and walked past Keith, making her way towards Ms. April's classroom. She figured she would start with this classroom first, not really having any particular reason for it. When Kate slid the classroom door open and stepped inside, Keith felt as if it was even darker in here than it was out in the hallway.

"Is it just me, or is our classroom so much creepier at night?" Keith shuddered ever so slightly, looking around the room a little paranoid.

"No, it's not just you..." Kate warily answered him, thinking the same thing. It was just a little creepy in here.

Keith cleared his throat. "Okay, your hint for this room is - what wasn't here during the day?"

Well, the answer to that was painfully obvious. Kate took notice of the five crates placed conveniently around the room the instant she walked in, but after hearing Keith's clue, that just confirmed her suspicion that there was a Styler in one of these crates.

"Hmm." Kate pressed her index finger to her lips, looking at each crate. "If I was going to hide a Styler in a crate, which one would it be?" After thinking it over for a minute and coming up with nothing, Kate slowly turned to look at Keith suspiciously. "Keith, by any chance were you the one who hid this Styler?"

Keith just sweatdropped. "...yeah. Rhyth took care of the Library and Kincaid's classroom, but I did this one and the Teacher's Lounge. Why?" He asked her, a little confused.

Kate just nodded and immediately kicked the crate next to Ms. April's desk, obliterating it with her sheer force. Keith stood in awe as she plucked a green School Styler from the rubble, trying to figure out how the hell she got it on the first try. And also how she broke that crate...

Kate just smirked, tossing the Styler to Keith. "You just had to put it in the one crate you'd remember, didn't you?"

Keith just sweatdropped again. "I was using her desk as a reminder..."

Kate chuckled, walking past Keith and out the classroom door. Keith followed behind the strange girl across the hall and into Mr. Kincaid's room, still amazed by her. Alright, he'd give the bookworm some credit. She wasn't entirely useless, and she was pretty smart... But she still would struggle being a Ranger with that tiny form of hers regardless of her smarts.

Kate didn't even give Keith the chance to give her a hint before she found the Styler lying on a shelf in plain sight. "Seriously? This is Rhythimi's idea of a good hiding spot?"

Keith just facepalmed. "Wow, blondie. Even for you, that was a little pathetic."

Kate just chuckled, joining Keith by his side again. "Let's just hope she at least found a decent spot for the Library."

Now it was Keith's turn to laugh. "Hopefully. She probably sucked trying to hide that one too."

Kate and Keith left the room side-by-side, sharing a laugh or two as they were finally starting to get along.

* * *

Rhythimi dropped her jaw as she stared at Ponte's laptop screen in horror, and all of the students upstairs sitting on the couch with her crowded around her. "Hey! They're criticizing my choice of hiding spots!" She watched the two head towards the Teacher's Lounge through the school cameras they may or may not have hacked, pouting a little. "Jerks..."

* * *

"And my hint for this room?" Kate inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Keith smirked and leaned up against the door of the Teacher's Lounge, knowing she was going to have a tough time with this one. "A hint? You want another hint?"

Kate just groaned, slumping her shoulders. "Keith!" She whined, getting tired of his childish antics.

Keith threw his head back and laughed. "Alright, alright. Your hint is - it doesn't sit still."

"It doesn't sit still?" Kate rose an eyebrow at the red-head before glancing around the room. "But everything in this room does sit still..." She froze when a tiny little Pichu with a Styler tied around its neck by a string came running around the corner of the table, then ran away from Kate when it saw her. "You've gotta be kidding me..." She stared at Keith in disbelief, then shifted her stare into a glower when he started laughing. "You jerk!"

"Good luck with this one, Kate!" Keith laughed, clutching his stomach from laughing so hard.

With a heavy sigh, Kate took off running for the Pichu, who just kept shrieking and running away from her around the table every time she got close. Keith couldn't stop laughing the entire time. See, this was just the type of thing that she needed his help for. With those short legs, there was no way she could catch that Pichu on her own...

"Here you go." Kate plopped the retrieved Styler into his hands as she walked out the door, dusting off her hands.

"Oh, thanks." Keith nodded, then widened his eyes in shock. "Wait WHAT?" He stared down at the Styler in his hands, then looked around for the Pichu in the room. The Pichu was sound asleep on the ground, dreaming happily of something. "Oi, Kate, what did you to it?" Keith rose an eyebrow as he chased after the tiny girl, following her to the Library.

Kate just cracked a grin. "Well, since I couldn't catch the little guy just by chasing him, I just sang him the lullaby I used to sing for my little brother when he was a baby to calm him down and put him to sleep." Kate paused and turned to shoot him a weird look. "Didn't you hear me?"

Keith was too embarrassed to admit he didn't hear her sing because he was too lost in thought thinking that she wouldn't be able to get that Styler without his help.

Brains: one. Brawn: zero.

Keith just sweatdropped. "No..." Kate shook her head, not really surprised. "Wait, you have a little brother?"

"Yeah, back in Summerland." Kate nodded her head, opening the Library door. "His name is Adam." Keith couldn't help but notice the happy smile on Kate's face when she thought about him. "He's my pride and joy. I practically raised him myself, since my parents are usually busy at work."

"What do they do?" Keith asked, a little curious now. Alright, so the bookworm wasn't completely boring. Completely.

"Oh, I didn't mention that, did I?" Kate almost forgot, but her question was answered for her when she saw the look of confusion on Keith's face. "Well, my parents run the Summerland Resort Hotel back home, the most popular place to stay when vacationing in Summerland." She grinned, proud of her parents achievement. "We practically live in that hotel, since my parents are the main employees. Adam and I grew up racing down the hallways together and pushing all of the buttons in the elevators." Kate laughed, making Keith unconsciously smile. "Even though I was a big help to the hotel, they all supported my decision to become a Ranger. I miss them all so much..." She sadly smiled, staring at the floor.

Keith felt a bit strange seeing her a little sad. Then again, he felt that way when women cried in front of him too. Feeling a little awkward with the silence, Keith cleared his throat. "Well, we should probably find that last Styler so we can finish this up now..."

Kate looked at him quizzically before remembering her task. "Oh, yeah... You're probably right."

Keith followed behind Kate as she looked around the Library, confused as to why she seemed more interested in the books rather than finding the Styler. Were books really that interesting to her?

"Oh hey, I found it!" Kate cheered, gaining Keith's attention. The Styler was on top of a bookshelf in the back that was just a little too tall for Kate, and she quickly found herself having trouble reaching it. "Aww, I can't reach it...WHOA!" Kate was immidiately lifted up onto Keith's shoulders by the red-head himself, and he held onto her legs to keep her there. She stared down at him in shock. "What are you doing?!"

As if this didn't bother him at all and was completely normal, Keith just stared up at the Styler. "Can you reach it now?" He asked her, lifting her up far more than necessary with his height.

Kate felt her face flush as she quickly snatched the Styler. "Yeah. You can put me down now..." She felt strange being this high up and able to see everything around her, but it wasn't exactly unpleasant. It was kind of nice to be tall for a change.

Brains: one. Brawn: one.

Keith put her back down on the ground, returning the five foot tall girl to her normal height. "Alright, that's all four. Let's go plunk them down at the basement door already."

"Oh...kay...?" Kate shook her head, still recovering from Keith's sudden action just a little bit.

The two walked in silence out of the Library, and Keith carried the Stylers as Kate lead the way to the staircases. Keith reluctantly stepped into the darkness that was the basement floor, gulping nervously. He felt Kate reassuringly pat him on the arm, which did make him feel a little better. When their eyes adjusted to the dark, they looked around the small basement hallway they were in, which was filled with boxes, tools, and loose pieces of paper on the floor. They spotted the door up ahead with a yellow light pouring out from underneath the crack, lighting up the basement just a bit, to Keith's relief.

They were about to set the Stylers down and go when Kate froze, suspiciously looking around. She sensed something, and that something wasn't good.

"What's wrong?" Keith raised an eyebrow at her, even though she couldn't see it in the dark.

"We're being followed." Kate spoke in an even tone, narrowing her eyes at nothing in particular.

Keith nearly jumped out of his skin, whispering harshly to Kate, "WHAT!?"

Kate readied her Styler, knowing she was about to have to perform a capture. "Go on. Show yourself. I know you're there."

At Kate's command, four Gastly suddenly appeared, two in front of each Ranger Student. Keith turned around to face his two Gastly and backed up, bumping into Kate's back.

"Each of us capture two?" Kate asked the rhetorical question, leaning against Keith's back. She didn't even take up half of the space of his back with her petite figure.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Keith smirked with determination, switching on his Styler. "Ready?"

"Set..."

"GO!"

Kate and Keith both looped their light blue capture lines around their two Gastly at an impossible speed, unintentionally synchronizing their capturing speed. These captures were more difficult than any capture either of the two had ever done before, given the fact that the Gastly continuously teleported in and out of their capture lines. However, both students completed their captures after a few minutes after putting effort into it.

"CAPTURE COMPLETE!" Both teens cheered simultaneously, finishing their captures at the same time.

Kate and Keith turned to face each other, and Keith crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright, I'll admit that we do make a pretty good team." He reluctantly avoided eye contact, staring at anything but her.

Kate gave Keith her wonderful smile, happy that he gave her a compliment for the very first time. Keith stared at her smile, dumbfounded by how sweet and cheery it looked. Kate was about to say something when the basement door swung open, and who Kate suspected to be Mr. Kincaid stepped out.

The teacher had one big blonde curl of hair up at the front of his head that defied gravity, and he reeked of hairspray, confirming Kate's suspicions. He was fuming angry, and neither Kate or Keith could really see what was behind him in the bright room.

"STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED DOWN HERE!" Mr. Kincaid boomed, shaking with anger. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT PAST CURFEW!?"

Keith grabbed onto Kate's hand and jerked the small girl to his side. "Shit. Kate, run!" He shouted with a laugh, running away frantically and dragging her with him.

The two ran away from the angry teacher as fast as they could. And despite how fatigued and tired they felt from all of the running, they couldn't stop laughing the entire way.

* * *

 **There, chapter four is done! The fluff...so adorable... I'm not really sure how I managed to make this cute while moving their romance REALLY slowly. What did you guys think? Please tell me in your reviews!**

 **PS: I planned out an outline for this book, and the chapter count ends at 50! This will be a 50 chapter book :O that's like an all new record for me...**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	5. Chapter V

It was a bright, sunny day in Almia, and the sun had just risen on this fine Saturday morning. Kate had survived her first week of school, frequently butting heads with Keith and chatting sometimes with Rhythimi about their shared favorite books. Still friendless, Kate took her book with her outside by herself, heading towards Ascension Square. She had every intention of climbing one of the trees and watching the sun rise higher into the sky as she read her book, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Ranger School was fun, but it was also loud, and Kate didn't really care for noise all that much. When she wanted to read, which was pretty much always, she needed peace and quiet to do it. So, she ventured out early this morning to enjoy the fresh air and read a few hundred pages of her book.

As she walked across the freshly damp grass covered in dewdrops, Kate spotted the perfect tree to climb, and she immediately began pulling herself up to the first branch.

Kate loved climbing trees. Back home, she had this one spot in the Olive Jungle where a tall tree grew atop of a large cliff that looked over the ocean. From that view, you couldn't even see where the ocean ended, and that's what Kate loved about it. She would climb up that tree and sit up on the highest branch, watching the sun rise and set while reading a good book. As soon as Adam got old enough, she took him out there with her and had him climb her special tree as well. They often enjoyed watching the view as they spent time together.

And now, sitting up on a tall tree in Almia watching the sun rise over yet another endless-looking ocean, Kate couldn't help but wonder if Adam was across the water, just gazing in her direction from the other side, sitting in their special tree.

* * *

Rhythimi stormed out of the school building, very annoyed. A never-giving-up Thomas came out right behind her, following her all the way down to Ascension Square with the Charmander he had captured earlier and added to his friend Pokemon party.

"Rhythimi, wait!" Thomas called out, chasing after the blonde with his Charmander following behind him.

"I already told you, I'm not interested!" Rhythimi shouted back, completely aggravated. She always got frustrated when one of her admirers were persistent and didn't leave her alone.

"Come on, just give me a chance..." Thomas sighed, coming to a stop in front of the Pledge Stone. He was starting to get annoyed with her stubbornness. He wasn't exactly a patient or rational person.

Having heard voices from up in the tree she had been sitting in for the past two hours, Kate glanced down at the ground to see what the commotion was. She immediately spotted some random guy with a Charmander and Rhythimi talking about something down on the ground. Although, it didn't exactly look like a friendly conversation...

At the same time, Keith stepped out onto the grounds from inside the school, bored and looking for someone to mess with. Neither Kate or Rhythimi were in their room, so he was trying to find one or both of them to bother. What? He was bored! He wasn't a fucking angel for Arceus's sake.

The sound of an argument soon reached Keith's ears, and he walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down into Ascension Square. He spotted that Thomas guy who had been bothering Rhythimi as of late, and he was about to step in and tell the guy to fuck off when he noticed Kate was sitting up in a tree, watching what was going on as well. ...what was she doing out here?

"No." Rhythimi firmly glared a him. "Thomas, I don't like you like that, and I never will." She crossed her arms, stiffening her posture. It was true, she didn't like him. But that was most likely because she had a crush on someone else...

Thomas got angry at that, then replaced his irritation with a smirk when he lost his temper. "So, you won't go out with me, then?"

"No." Rhythimi shook her head, stubborn as ever. Although, she looked a little concerned by the smirk on his face.

"Fine." He shrugged, glancing down at his Charmander. "I wonder how you'd feel then if that precious hair of yours got the slightest bit...singed." Thomas nodded his head to the Charmander with a sinister grin, glaring at Rhythimi now.

The Charmander didn't like this order, but the Ranger Student he had befriended had ordered it, so he had to comply. Even though he hated it, the Charmander took in a deep breath and shot a fiery ember heading straight for the blonde girl's face.

Rhythimi widened her eyes in shock, and she moved her hand to block the ember attack to her face without giving it much thought. "Ouch!" She cried out as the ember made contact with her bare skin, burning her hand slightly. It wasn't too serious, but the burn still smarted a little. "Cut it out! That's not funny!"

Thomas was about to say something else when a loud thumping noise caught his attention. Both he and Rhythimi turned their heads towards the source of the noise, noticing Kate had jumped down from one of the trees.

"Kate!" Rhythimi gasped, genuinely surprised to see her here. She quickly grew worried, knowing Thomas had no boundaries and would probably mess with Kate next. "Kate, get out of here..." She warned her, conveying the danger in her tone.

Not worried in the slightest, she approached the two. "What are you doing?" Kate asked, looking over at Rhythimi. She felt angry when she saw the burn on her hand.

Thomas scoffed, arrogantly taking a stance. "We're just having a little chat...hey!" He whined when Kate walked right past him, completely ignoring him. Girls weren't allowed to just ignore him!

Kate looked directly into Rhythimi's grey eyes, crossing her arms. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing?"

Rhythimi flashed Kate a warning glance. "I've got this. Kate, just get out of here..."

Kate spun on her heel and glared at Thomas with the most even glower she could give out, sending chills down Rhythimi's spine even though she wasn't the one receiving it. "Just who the hell do you think you are, picking on someone else and using your Styler to command a befriended Pokemon to hurt them for your own selfish ends?"

Thomas opened his mouth to speak, not intimidated by this tiny girl in the least. "Look, you short bitch, I can do whatever the hell I want, so I'd suggest that you just scram and leave while I let yah." He smirked devilishly, leaning forwards to try and be intimidating.

Keith watched from up above as Kate rose an eyebrow, stepping closer to Thomas. "Is that so?"

"Yes." He stuck up his chin into the air, demonstrating that he was the higher authority here. "So, whaddyah say? You gonna leave or not?"

Kate let her arms fall to her sides before balling up her right fist. "I say no one orders me around."

Her fist flew so fast through the air that Thomas didn't have nearly enough time to duck out of the way, and he quickly crippled to the floor and whined as he clutched his nose.

Both Rhythimi and Keith dropped their jaws, not expecting that at all.

Kate stepped forwards with a dangerous demeanor and grabbed Thomas by his tie, jerking his face up to look at her. "Are you in a listening mood now? Because I'm not done." Thomas vigorously nodded his head, covering his bloody nose with his hands. "If you ever, and I mean EVER bother Rhythimi again..." She raised her fist to his face, simply taunting him with the idea that she could punch him at any given moment. "The next one will be aimed at your jaw."

The terrified boy ran so fast out of there that he left a dust trail behind him.

Kate turned immediately and wrapped an arm around the back of Rhythimi's shoulders, paying no attention to the intense look of astonishment on the blonde's face. "Come on. Let's go get that burn treated."

Rhythimi numbly walked next to Kate with her jaw agape. "K-Kate... W-why...?" She just stared at the brunette, dumbfounded.

Kate shrugged her shoulders. "People that use Pokemon for their own selfish ends or hurt good people for no reason disgust me. That guy just happened to be both, and I lost my composure a bit..." She sighed, shaking her head. "If you think that's bad, you should've seen what I did to the guys picking on Adam last year." Kate looked ahead with a dark shadow cast over her eyes.

Seeing the look on Kate's face, Rhythimi only sweatdropped at the thought. "So...does this mean we're friends now?" She asked, silently hoping.

Kate turned her head to look at her before chuckling quietly. "Perhaps."

Rhythimi grinned, then started to laugh. "Who knew you could be so intimidating! And I don't even think I've even heard you utter a single curse word before now!" The blonde wiped a stray tear from her eye, quieting her laughter a little.

Kate sweatdropped as her cheeks flushed slightly, averting eye contact. "Typically I'm not a violent person, but...well, he made me mad." She narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular, only causing Rhythimi to throw her head back and laugh even more.

Keith watched the bright grins on both girl's faces and listened to their laughs from up above, smiling a little to himself. Alright, so short stuff had a bit of an arm to her and could throw a punch. He'd make note of that in the future. She had guts, that was for sure.

But, honestly...he couldn't help but respect her just a bit more for it.

* * *

 **Tah dah, here's the short little blurb that makes Kate and Rhythimi friends and Keith respect her more!**

 **Read, review, and enjoy the story~!**


	6. Chapter VI

"Today, I am going to list off a few scenarios that you Rangers-in-training may encounter in your future careers, and I want you all to try and guess how to handle the situation according to protocol, despite what the profession you are pursuing may be." Ms. April explained, clapping her hands together. "But of course, let's make this into a game." The whole class was on the edge of their seats at the sound of that. Ms. April grinned devilishly, being a little competitive herself. "So, here's how it will work: I will list the first scenario, and whoever knows the answer will speak up. Then, the class has the option to agree with the answer or debate it. I will list five scenarios, and whoever wins, er, I don't know, gets no homework for a week..." Ms. April awkwardly thought of the first award she could think of off the top of her head, immediately being cut off by her class loudly cheering and throwing their papers up into the air.

"HOORAY!"

Ms. April simply chuckled at her class's eagerness to participate. "Alright. Well, everyone, stand up and form a circle around the classroom!"

While students were sliding their chairs back, Rhythimi raised her hand and made eye contact with Ms. April. "Ms. April, can we be on teams?"

Ms. April mulled it over for a second before nodding her head. "That's a wonderful idea! And it works out perfectly, since we only have two training to be Rangers in here."

Kate and Keith awkwardly glanced at each other when they realized their teacher was talking about them. Although, Keith's surprise was quickly replaced by a competitive grin, which Kate rolled her eyes at.

Rhythimi immediately ran to Kate, practically tackling the girl as she stood up from her desk. "I CALL KATE!"

Three other girls seemed to have the same idea and latched onto Kate, who just sweatdropped at the four girls choosing her team solely because she was the school's resident bookworm. "You guys, I'm not THAT smart..." Kate's cheeks slightly reddened in embarrassment, and the red-head across the room simply laughed at her.

"Alright! Girls against guys it is!" Keith high-fived the other four guys in his group, smirking in Kate's direction. "My team's gonna win, Kate, so you may as well just give up now!" The other guys all cheered, making faces at the girls across the room.

Kate scoffed, crossing her arms. "Yeah, right." She rolled her eyes sarcastically, doubtful that she could lose to such an idiot.

"As if we'd let you idiots win!" Rhythimi sassed the boys, placing her hands on her hips. "Right, girls?"

"YEAH!" The other three girls agreed from behind Rhythimi, simultaneously high-fiving the blonde who was tauntingly smirking at Keith from across the room.

Ms. April shook her head at her charismatic students. "Alright, class! Let's begin!" She wrote 'Team Hitomi' and 'Team Dazzle' on the chalk board, turning to face her students. She then placed a bell in front of each team leader before returning to the center of the class. "First scenario: you arrive on the scene to find a rampaging Bastiodon about to charge at an innocent bystander. What do you do?"

Kate immediately knew the answer to this one, but Keith's quick reflexes beat her to the punch and he rang the bell first. The brunette narrowed her eyes at the red-head, a little annoyed that she was already losing because she couldn't ring the bell fast enough.

"Yes, Keith?" Ms. April looked over at the smirking idiot, awaiting his answer.

"That's easy." Keith scoffed, confidently smirking directly at Kate from his spot across the room. "Sweep in and get the bystander out of the way, then capture the Pokemon to calm it down."

Ms. April nodded her head, then looked over at the girl's team. "Are we going to debate that answer, or do you all agree with it?" Ms. April sweatdropped as the glaring girls all remained quiet. "Alright... Well, one point for the boy's then." She turned to write a tally mark on the board as Rhythimi began muttering curses.

The blonde comically cracked her knuckles before stretching her arms. "Don't worry girls, we'll get the next one!"

Brains: zero. Brawn: one.

Ms. April cleared her throat, then listed the next scenario. "You are given a report that a suspicious individual is loitering in a beach cave. What do you do?"

Kate learned from her last mistake and slammed her palm down on the bell as fast as she could. "Simple. You request backup before approaching the scene."

"What!? No way!" Keith protested, glaring at Kate. "You're supposed to go in and apprehend the guy first!"

"But you don't even know if they're doing something illegal." Kate added plainly, staring at Keith with the most determined look on her face ever. "And besides, he may not be the only one in there. You could easily be walking in to an ambush."

"Ooh..." The guys exhaled, looking at Keith nervously. Their eyes all widened in shock at Kate's witty answer.

One boy sweatdropped, timidly speaking up. "She's got a point, dude..."

Keith rose his hand to silence the guy. "Shut up..." He grumbled irritably, refusing to remove his glare from Kate.

Brains: one. Brawn: one.

Ms. April had to stifle a laugh as she turned to give Kate's team a point. "Alright, next scenario!" She clapped her hands together, turning to face her class with a bright smile on her face. "You're ordered to report to the scene of a cave-in where several large boulders have been reported to have collapsed. You don't know if anyone is trapped inside, but you have a choice to make: do you go in, or do you clear the area and make sure it's safe first?"

"Go in and make sure no one is trapped inside." Keith rang the bell, beating Kate to it. "You don't know if someone's in there or not and needs help, so first thing's first: go in and see if anyone's in there, and if so, get them out." He accepted a high-five from one of his teammates when they glanced at the shocked look on the girl's faces. However, all but one girl seemed impressed.

Kate seemed uninterested in his answer, raising an eyebrow at him with her arms crossed over her unfortunately flat chest. "I'm inclined to disagree..." Kate started to explain, then remembered her promise to Keith the night of the test of courage, making sure to talk more informally. "Umm... I mean, I don't think that's right."

"How so?" Ms. April looked at her student, waiting for Kate's opinion on the matter. She knew Keith's answer was wrong; now she was just hoping one of her students knew it too.

"I would make sure the area is safe before proceeding." Kate explained, looking at Ms. April instead of Keith as she proved him wrong, showing good sportsmanship. "If you go in without clearing the area to rescue someone that may or may not be in there, what good will it do you if another boulder falls from the ceiling and crushes you?"

The guys all hung their jaws in shock as Ms. April smiled, writing another point under Kate's team on the blackboard. She turned to Keith with a strict look on her face. "Keith, don't be reckless; Kate is right. When out in the field, you do need to consider the danger of your missions. If you just barge in to a scene and put yourself at risk, you won't accomplish much of anything." She tried to get her point across to the now-sulking red-head, knowing it wouldn't have much effect anyways.

Brains: two. Brawn: one.

"Woohoo!" Rhythimi high-fived Kate as the other girls cheered with her. "Alright! Go, Kate!"

The brunette in question just sweatdropped in embarrassment, running a hand through her short hair. "It's...really not that big a deal..."

Keith clicked his tongue derisively, jerking his head away from Kate. He hated being wrong, but he hated being proved wrong even more. "Yeah, it's not, so why don't you just drop it already."

Kate almost cringed from the harshness in his tone, staring at Keith from across the room. Bit of a sore loser, huh?

"Okay, next one!" Ms. April cleared her throat. "You're about to engage in a high-speed boat chase, and the criminals escape in a speed boat by sea. There's one unoccupied boat at the docks, so, how do you proceed?"

Kate widened her eyes slightly when she realized this question specifically struck a nerve with her one weakness. "Uh...you..." She started to form an answer, but she sounded unsure of herself. "...find a Pokemon to take you across the water and befriend it?"

Rhythimi facepalmed as Keith rudely interrupted her. "WRONG!" The red-head boasted, now in a better mood that he had the opportunity to score a point here. "You just drive the boat yourself and chase after them!"

"Correct!" Ms. April pointed to Keith. "If this ever were to happen, it might take too long to find a Pokemon to swim you across the water, so you should take the unoccupied boat and chase after the delinquents before they get away." She explained to Kate, trying to elaborate on the scenario in a way to show how Kate's solution would have worked, but Keith's was the better answer.

Kate sunk back into her skin a little, internally kicking herself for that slip up. Kate didn't know how to drive a BOAT! She didn't really even likeboats in the first place! She only took the ferry to the Ranger School in the first place because her parents had bought her the ticket, refusing to let her travel in her normal way of transportation: surfing on the backs of Summerland's Sharpedo.

Even without a Styler, there were just some people out there in the world who could befriend Pokemon no matter what, and Kate was just one of those people.

The townspeople all thought she was crazy back when she was a little girl, since she'd just up and jump into the water to swim with the shark Pokemon. Although, the Sharpedo took a liking to her, and instead of eating her like they would probably do any other human being, they actually played with the little girl whenever she came to swim with them. They would let her clutch onto their fins as they swam her around Summerland's coral reefs, and they would give her rides just about anywhere she wanted to go. Even as she grew up, she still swam with the sharks, despite her Mother's protests of how 'unladylike' it was to surf on the back of a shark Pokemon.

Kate was seen as a crazy thrill-seeker back home for pulling such dangerous stunts, but she didn't really see how it was dangerous. Sure, Sharpedo were typically aggressive Pokemon, but they were never that way to her. So, instead of growing up and getting accustomed to boat rides, Kate mostly travelled by sea on the back of Sharpedo. She never really got used to being on a boat, and she was more comfortable riding on a Pokemon.

Brains: two. Brawn: two.

"Alright, it looks like we have a tie!" Ms. April said, sounding pretty excited. "Are we ready for the tie-breaker question?" At the sight of each team of students glaring intensely at the other with a look of determination, Ms. April just sweatdropped and stated the question anyway. "Suppose the Vien Forest catches on fire and is traveling downwind. How should you proceed with handling the situation?"

"Easy." Keith rang the bell first, scoffing a little. "You go in, evacuate as many Pokemon as you can, and capture as several Water-types to put out the fire as you go." He brushed off the question as if it were a piece of cake. "And of course, if you see anyone inside, you get them out first."

Ms. April nodded her head, then glanced at the girl's team. "Does anyone have a better answer up for debate?"

Kate quizzically placed her index finger to her lips, thinking something over. "If the fire is traveling downwind, it could get to the town next." She stated, causing the guys to panic. They knew that look: it was the look that was about to beat them at their own game. "You should evacuate Vientown first, then evacuate as many Pokemon and people you can find inside the burning forest." Kate concluded, looking over at Ms. April and hoping that she would get this question right in order to redeem herself for earlier.

"And the fire?" Ms. April inquired, raising an eyebrow at the brunette.

Kate crossed her arms with the tiniest smirk on her face, going in for the kill. "Simply capturing Water-types along the way wouldn't be enough power to put out a fire of that size. You would need one strong, larger Water-type to perform 'Rain Dance' to extinguish it all at once." She gave her answer, remembering having read that in her Ranger Textbook when she was studying the night before for their upcoming test.

Brains: three. Brawn: two.

The girl's all cheered and jumped up and down as Ms. April gave them the final point, glomping Kate in one giant hug. "WOOHOO! WE WON!"

"You did it, Kate!" Rhythimi hugged her new friend tightly, grinning brightly. "I'm so proud of you!"

Kate glanced over at Keith's look of defeat, feeling a little bad for stealing the last point. Even if she won fair and square, she still did feel a little bad.

Well, at least she wouldn't have to do any homework for a week.

Ms. April struggled to get her class to quiet down; one half was cheering and screaming, while the other was groaning and moping. Suddenly, to Ms. April's immediate relief, the school's bell chimed and echoed throughout the school, signaling that it was time for lunch. Finally, she would get a small break from her rambunctious students...

"Lunch time, everyone!" Ms. April piped up happily, watching her student's moods immediately brighten as they began packing up their stuff. "I'll see you tomorrow morning for class!"

Her students gave some sort of farewell before they all rushed to get out the door first, slamming into one another. Rhythimi was dragging Kate across the hallway with Keith following behind her when she spotted a certain blonde-haired mushroom-boy exit Mr. Kincaid's classroom.

Isaac spotted Rhythimi immediately and smiled, waving hello to her. "Hello, Rhythimi!"

Rhythimi nervously gulped, jabbing Keith in the stomach sharply with her elbow when he laughed at the look on her face. "H-hi, Isaac..." She nervously chuckled, not even listening to Keith gasp 'oof!' and nearly crash into Kate from the impact of her elbow hitting his stomach. The blonde didn't wait any longer to get out of there, and she quickly grabbed Kate and Keith by their hands and ran out of the school, dragging them right behind her.

Kate rose an eyebrow at her, while Keith just chuckled, despite the Charlie horse he now had in his side thanks to Puffy Hair over here. "Seriously, Rhyth? I knew you had a crush, but that's just sad." He shook his head, pretending to be disappointed in her.

Rhythimi's face lit up as red as a Cheri Berry. She quickly punched Keith in the arm, causing the red-head to yelp quietly in response. "Shut up! I do not have a crush on Isaac!"

Keith just looked at her, and Rhythimi sweatdropped.

Kate tried her best to process the situation, not having much luck in figuring out what was going on. She was insanely smart; smart enough to give Isaac, the boy genius, a run for his money. However, when it came to relationships, or just any old regular conversation in general, Kate was...well, as Rhythimi liked to put it, socially inept.

Kate just sweatdropped, not really sure what was going on. "Umm... I'm sorry, but...I don't really get what's going on here." She tugged on Keith's jacket sleeve, staring straight up in order to look at his ruby-red eyes for help.

Keith raised an eyebrow and stared down at the short girl trying to get his attention. "Oh, you don't, do you?" Having no respect for the blonde's privacy, he blocked Rhythimi's face with his hand and pushed her away from him as the blonde tried to run and attack him. "Puffy Hair over here has a major, MAJOR crush on mushroom boy, and when she figured it out last year, she's been an awkward Turtwig around him ever since." He smirked at the sound of Rhythimi's muffled threats and curses, almost laughing as Kate sweatdropped at the whole scene.

"...oh." Kate shot Rhythimi a nervous look from around Keith's shoulder, just watching helplessly as he continued to hold her off. "I see..." She formed an awkward reply, not having much else to say, given her lack of experience in this jurisdiction.

Keith chuckled and released Rhythimi from his grip, quickly pulling Kate out of the way as the blonde was sent charging forwards. Rhythimi regained her balance and stopped herself from falling just in time to glare at Keith, who looked showed absolutely no trace of guilt for invading her privacy. "You jerk..."

Keith walked side-by-side with Kate down the steps to Ascension Square, and Rhythimi was sulking right behind them as she followed the two down to the trio's favorite spot to eat lunch. She was trying her best to contain her anger, which wasn't really much of an effort at all.

"Hey." Keith nudged Kate with his elbow, and he grinned when her blue eyes darted to look up at him. "Some day, I'll teach you how to drive a boat. I promise."

Kate widened her eyes in surprise, shocked that he had figured it out that she didn't know how to. He must've put two-and-two together when they were in class earlier. "And where would we go...?"

Keith shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugging his shoulders. "Dunno. Wherever you want, I guess."

She was so grateful for his sudden kindness that Kate unconsciously used her secret weapon on Keith, smiling brighter than the sun at him. He nearly forgot to keep walking down the stairs at the sight of her smile and almost tripped, causing her to issue a small laugh at his slip-up.

Kate hesitated, then worked up the courage to speak. "Keith?" She looked up at him, nervously biting her lower lip just a little.

"Hm?" The red-head stared down at her casually, listening.

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile as he simply patted her on the head in response.

"No problem, Shorty."

"HEY!"

"Sorry, sorry! Kate! I meant Kate! Damn... Still getting used to that..."

As the trio stepped onto the grass of Ascension Square, Rhythimi finally lost it, and she started screaming at Keith again. "YOU FREAKING IDIOT! I'M STILL MAD AT YOU!"

Kate sweatdropped as she watched the red-head simply smirk and just take it. She plopped herself down on the grass in front of a tree, watching the two fight curiously as she nibbled on her sandwich. Well, she figured you couldn't really call it a fight, given that only one of them was screaming and throwing punches.

Keith and Rhythimi really didn't look like friends at all, and if you didn't know them any better, you could argue that the two hated each other. However, Kate knew better than that. The blonde and red-head just had two very different personalities: Rhythimi was more composed and relaxed with an unnatural desire to get couples together, while Keith was a boastful, mischievous prankster. You could argue that he didn't respect anyone but himself, but Kate had a feeling that wasn't true at all. He may not show it very often, but she knew he was a good, respectable guy deep down. Deep, DEEP down.

Kate just shook her head and pulled out a pen and piece of paper from her bag, starting to write down her thoughts with the intention of mailing this letter to Adam back home.

 _Dear Adam,_

 _Hey, little brother! How have you been? I'm sorry I have not written to you more than once a week; I have just been so busy lately with school. You asked in your last letter how I was liking school. Well..._

 _It is definitely_ _NOT_ _what I expected at all. I thought Almia's Ranger School was going to be a respectable, serious, straight-to-the-point school that I could go to in order to be taught how to become the best Ranger that I could be, but it's not. In fact, it's the exact_ _opposite_ _! It is craziest place I have ever been, but... I really like it here, and I think it's even better than what I had expected. I feel like I belong here at this school, especially now that I have Keith and Rhythimi to make me feel at home._

 _Remember when I told you a little about them last week? Yeah, they haven't changed since then... In fact, I'm sitting in front of them right now as they're arguing with each other about something utterly_ _ridiculous_ _. And...ow...Rhythimi just punched him across the face...ah...? Where did she get a baseball bat? Mr. Kaplan must have left the sport's equipment shed unlocked_ _again_ _..._

"YOU IDIOT! STAY STILL SO I CAN SMACK YOU!"

"NO WAY, BLONDIE! YOU'RE FUCKING CRAZY!"

Kate just sweadropped and returned to writing her letter.

 _...Anyways, do you remember how I said I came to this school with the intention of not making any friends? Well... The people here gave me a_ _really_ _hard time with that when I tried to live up to it, and I ended up making two friends after all. Well, at least I_ _THINK_ _Keith is my friend. Sure, we argue a lot, we disagree on almost_ _everything_ _, he makes short jokes about me_ _constantly_ _, and we are completely different people, but...I don't_ _HATE_ _him. I enjoy having someone to argue with who's not afraid to tell me that I'm wrong, and it_ _is_ _pretty fun to have him around, I suppose... He's a nice guy, but only when he wants to be. He even promised to teach me how to drive a boat some day, and honestly... I'm actually looking forward to it. That makes us friends, right?_

 _Well, I should probably go now. Good-bye, little brother. Tell Mother and Father that I love them for me! I anxiously await your reply!_

 _Sincerely, your big sister._

"KEITH! YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FOR ME, AND NOW YOU WILL PAY!" Rhythimi held the bat high above her head as she cornered Keith at the Pledge Stone, having every intention of smacking him with it.

"YOU'RE INSANE!" Keith desperately cried out at Rhythimi in shock, panicking a little. "KATE! CALM HER DOWN ALREADY!"

Kate shook her head and stood up, jogging over to her two friends to referee. Again. "Guys, break it up!"

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaand here is the long-awaited chapter six! I know that some of you were very impatient waiting for this update, so now you don't have to wait anymore! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D**

 **How do you guys like the new cover? I spent HOURS on it, but I'm pretty proud of it ^-^**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	7. Chapter VII

"I THINK IT WENT THIS WAY!"

"AH!"

"WAIT, NO! IT WENT THAT WAY!"

"OH, OH, OH! THERE IT GOES! IT'S GOING TO ASCENSION SQUARE!"

"GET IT!"

"HURRY! SOMEONE CAPTURE IT!"

Rhythimi just sweatdropped as she nudged Keith, watching her classmates frantically chase after a Glameow running loose. "This is all your fault, you know."

Keith grinned sheepishly, awkwardly scratching at the back of his head. "Ah hah hah... Hah... Yeah, I know." He sweatdropped as he watched Kate and three other students try to capture the loose Pokemon and completely fail each time.

"COME ON ALREADY! STAY STILL!"

"I'M GOING TO CAPTURE IT!"

"NO, I WILL!"

Kate gave up the chase and jogged over to Keith and Rhythimi, panting a little as she walked with them down to Ascension Square.

"Give up?" Keith chuckled, smirking down at Kate.

Tuckered out, she exhaled quietly. "Yeah... Lost cause..." She struggled to catch her breath, and Keith just laughed at her.

Rhythimi just shook her head as she watched her classmates scramble to capture the Glameow that dashed down the steps to Ascension Square. "You just HAD to try and pull a prank the day of Outdoor Class, and have the prank completely backfire, didn't you?" She rolled her eyes, exhaling sharply.

Keith hung his head down in shame. "Well, it was supposed to work..."

Both girls laughed at his misery, although one of their laughs stood out more than the other. This laugh was more of a sweet, cheerful laugh, rather than Rhythimi's obnoxiously loud chuckle: this was Kate's laugh. Keith was the best prankster in the world; his pranks didn't just fail. He made this one fail on purpose just so that he could make Kate laugh.

...So what if he liked her laugh? What was so bad about that? And his plan did work! Except...not quite in the way he had anticipated...

"THERE IT IS!"

"CRAP, SOMEONE CAPTURE IT!"

"I'M TRYING, BUT THIS IS SERIOUSLY HARD!"

"GAH! IT KEEPS RAMMING INTO MY CAPTURE LINE!"

"NOOOOOO WHY MUST THIS FREAKING CAT BE SUCH A PAIN TO CAPTURE!?"

Kate just sweatdropped and muttered quietly to herself, "umm, do you think they will ever capture it...?"

Keith shook his head, having heard her. "Probably not."

Rhythimi and Keith watched as a group of five students tumbled down the stairs due to one of the idiots in their class barreling through them in attempt to get to the Glameow first. Kate freaked out and hoped everyone was okay instead of just having a sense of humor and laughing like a normal person, and Keith just rolled his eyes at her compassionate nature. Seriously, why was the girl so nice all the time? Was that just her thing?

When Keith, Rhythimi, and Kate reached the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in Ascension Square, they spotted their teachers and Principal already down here for the Outdoor Class. The students were about to scramble and make a run for the Glameow when they noticed a different person emerge from the shadows of the trees and approach said Pokemon.

The man was tall, dark, and handsome, and dressed in his uniform, which Kate recognized. His black pants, red jacket, black and white shirt, and red Capture Styler were unmistakeable: he was a Ranger. This Ranger had a large, exploded brown Afro atop of his head oddly enough, which Kate noticed Ms. April cringe at. The Ranger towered over everyone in Ascension Square, strangely being six feet and six inches tall. Keith was the next tallest, but that was still six inches shorter than this Ranger.

The Pokemon Ranger swept in and captured the Glameow with ease before turning to the Ranger Students with a toothy grin. "Now THAT is how a real Ranger does it!" The students all awed at his skillful performance, clapping as the Ranger comically bowed. "Thank you, thank you very much!"

Ms. April scowled at this, narrowing her eyes into a sharp glare. "Crawford, quit showing off."

The Ranger, who was apparently named Crawford, tensed up at Ms. April's voice in recognition, standing straight up and hanging his head in shame. "Yes ma'am..."

Kate, Keith, and Rhythimi simply laughed alongside the other fifteen or so students, amused by the comical display.

Mr. Kincaid, who didn't look too happy to be here, irritably crossed his arms as he started to guide the students to a section of grass across the square. "Children, please form an arc around here so you all can see the Ranger across at the Pledge Stone."

Not wanting to catch the teacher's attention and possibly be yelled at for absolutely no reason, the trio made it like Mareep and followed the herd of students to the spot where they took a seat on the grass.

Kate got comfortable before smiling delicately. "I'm so excited... I've been waiting for this for weeks!"

Keith rolled his eyes at her. "What, couldn't spare even a little more enthusiasm for something as great as this?" He smirked in her direction, egging her on. "After all, it is the first time we get to meet a real Ranger."

Kate shook her head. "Not necessarily true." She stared ahead at the Outdoor Class, not even looking at Keith as she spoke. "I grew up next to a Ranger Base and met all kinds of Fiore Rangers, even the Base Leaders themselves." She admitted nonchalantly.

Rhythimi lost it and busted out laughing at the dumbfounded look on the red-head's face. "HAH! Weren't expecting that, were you, Keith?"

Keith rolled his eyes bitterly. "Oh shut up, blondie."

"Well, class, can I have your attention please?" Ms. April clapped her hands together. "This is Crawford, a former student of mine who is now a Ranger in Vientown." She held her hand out in front of Crawford, introducing him.

Crawford grinned idiotically, waving to the crowd of students. "Hello!" He reached down and picked up a small green Pokemon off the ground so the students could see. "This Budew here is my Partner Pokemon! My Ranger Partner back in Vientown is named Luana."

"Now that we're properly introduced..." Ms. April stepped forward with a smile. "Let's begin the question and answer session of terror!"

"Sounds good!" Crawford agreed, then quickly looked over at Ms. April with a look of horror. "Wait, of terror!?"

The students all laughed at Crawford's pale face, and when Ms. April gave her signal, the students began firing off their questions. You know, typical ones like "what's your favorite Pokemon," "is it hard being a Ranger," "do you get to visit your family often," "what is the hardest Pokemon to capture," and so on.

Although, Rhythimi had a different type of question.

The perky blonde excitedly raised her hand, then grinned when Crawford called on her. "Umm... Do you think I have what it takes to be an Operator?"

Keith rolled his eyes at her. "Puffy Hair, he's not a fortune teller."

Crawford chuckled at the two's banter. "Nah, it's alright. Well, I'm just meeting you for the first time, so I guess I have to say...yes! I think you'd be a great Operator someday!" He gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"Yes!" Rhythimi punched her fist into the air. "I knew it!"

"Oi, Crawford!" Keith blurted out the beginning of his question, impatient as ever. "Do you think I'd make a good Ranger?"

Kate rolled her eyes before quietly mumbling under her breath, "now who's the one mistaking him for a fortune teller..." which earned her a quick glare from the red-head.

"Well." Crawford pressed his index finger to his lips. "You seem determined and have that can-do attitude, so I think you could even be a better Ranger than me someday!"

"Really!?" Keith gawked at Crawford, very pleased with that answer. "Awesome!"

"Excuse me, Ranger Crawford?" Kate delicately raised her hand, then smiled gently when he called on her. "Have you ever made any mistakes?"

"Ah-HAH! Have I?" Crawford sarcastically laughed. "I made mistakes all the time when I first started out! Like dumping juice on my Styler, capturing a stuffed doll, putting my uniform on over my pajamas, accidentally setting Luana's hair on fire..." His eyes widened in horror, and he slapped his hands over the sides of his face. "Wait, don't make me say these things!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 _"Voicemail! Voicemail!"_ A small voice buzzed from Crawford's Styler, capturing his attention. _"Crawford, it's Barlow. I need you to cut the Outdoor Class short and join Luana and I for a mission to rescue an injured Mantine of the coast of the Ranger School. We're on our way in a boat as we speak."_

Crawford held down a button and spoke into the speaker on his Styler. "Roger that, leader!" He turned to Ms. April apologetically with a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry Ms. April, but I..."

"It's fine." She held up her hand to get him to stop talking. "Go ahead and go, we understand. Duty calls!" She smiled at him sweetly. "And besides, isn't that your boat?" She pointed to something on the horizon beyond the small pier.

Everyone turned their heads when a boat honked and pulled up at the pier. A girl Ranger with dark hair waved frantically at Crawford. "COME ON, CRAWFORD! WE GOTTA GO!"

"Coming, Luana!" Crawford shouted back before looking over at the students. "Sorry about the class getting cut short, guys! I'll keep you up-to-date on the Mantine after the mission!"

"Bye, Ranger Crawford!" The students all shouted and waved good-bye in unison.

Ms. April sighed as she watched the boat drive off. "Well, that was the shortest Outdoor Class ever... But it was easily the best one!"

Kate watched the boat drive off in awe. She couldn't wait to write Adam a letter about this later. "So cool..." She then suddenly scowled at nothing in particular. "I still hate boats, though..."

Keith chuckled at her as the students all stood up and began heading back to the school. "If you hate boats, then how did you get around before coming here?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and briskly walked past Keith. "I used to surf on the backs of Sharpedo everywhere."

Rhythimi busted out laughing at the sight of Keith's jaw crashing to the floor. "Hah! Weren't expecting that either, huh?"

Keith shook his head in order to snap out of it. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to be surprised by her anymore..."

* * *

 **._. yeah, I know I suck at updating regularly and you guys have been waiting awhile for this chapter... Sooooorrry! Well, I'm in the car now for another few hours on my way to Michigan to meet Roseykins :3 I'm going to be so bored oh god help me...**

 **I hope you liked the chapter!**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	8. Chapter VIII

"Keith, for the thousandth time, where are we going?"

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"...can't you just tell me?"

"What, and ruin it? ...Nah."

Kate just rolled her eyes as Keith continued to guide her somewhere with his hands covering her eyes, blindly following his lead. He had been pushing her around for the past five minutes, and she was starting to get impatient.

"Are we there yet?" Kate whined, worn out from her exhausting day at school and just wanting to go back to her room and sleep.

"Yep!" Keith chuckled at her impatience, finally pulling his hands from her eyes. "You can look around now."

Kate blinked her eyes to adjust to the light, and she was surprised to find herself standing next to Keith on the pier of Ascension Square. The sun was just beginning to set, illuminating the golden sky one last time for the day. The glittering star-kissed light danced along the waves, creating a truly breathtaking sight.

"Wow..." Kate was blown away by the beauty, completely at a loss for words. "Keith, why did you bring me here...?"

"Because." Keith jammed his fists into his jacket pockets, kicking at the ground. "It's my favorite spot. Plus, I had to get you away from Rhythimi long enough to give you this." He held out a small wrapped package of rectangular shape to Kate, ushering her to take it. "If I gave it to you in front of her, she'd probably make up some bullshit that it's a declaration of undying love or something..." The red-head rolled his eyes, successfully getting Kate to laugh.

She quieted her irresistibly cute laugh long enough to take the package from Keith and eye it curiously. "What is it?"

"A peace offering." Keith carelessly shrugged his shoulders. "Mostly for being a jerk to you this past month."

Kate shot him a sly look. "You're really not that bad, you know." She nudged him with her elbow, smiling at him all-knowingly.

Keith just blinked at her owlishly before shaking his head at her, narrowing his eyes at nothing in particular. "Would you just open it already?"

"Okay!" Kate giggled, immediately tearing into the packing paper. She paid no mind to Keith's anxious foot-tapping when she got to the bottom of the paper, and her sky-kissed blue eyes widened at the sight. "Oh my gosh..."

Keith was a nervous wreck. "Do you...like it?" He started to ask, immediately regretting it after hearing how shaky he sounded. "I just wasn't sure what to get you, since I don't know you very well and all, so..."

"I LOVE it!" Kate enveloped Keith into a tight hug, making the red-head's cheeks involuntarily flush the color of his hair. "Thank you so much, Keith! I will treasure this forever!"

Keith awkwardly stood there and patted her on the back as she hugged him. "You're welcome...? It's just a book, you know."

"Just a book?" Kate scoffed, practically shoving the book in Keith's face. "This isn't just any ordinary book, Keith! This is a book of Almia's folklore and legends! I love this kind of stuff!" She excitedly bounced up and down, hugging the book to her chest.

Keith just rolled his eyes before cracking a small grin. "How is it you've been here a whole month and I barely know anything about you?"

Kate just shrugged her shoulders with a wry smile written across her lips. "Because you've never asked."

Keith just laughed and shook his head at the floor, lifting his gaze back up to look at her through his spiky red hair. "Alright then, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" Kate sat down on the edge of the pier and crossed her legs, then patted the spot next to her, inviting Keith to sit down with her.

The red-head rolled his eyes before taking the seat next to her, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. It's just..." He paused, struggling to put his thoughts into words. "I barely know anything about you, but for whatever reason I like to hang out with you the most." Keith stopped himself as he looked at her. "I don't understand it myself." He grinned awkwardly.

Kate smiled wistfully at Keith's honesty. "Well... I'm eighteen, born and raised in Summerland, tend to love Pokemon more than people, and I have a five-year-old brother back home named Adam who I care for more than myself." She admitted with a happy sigh. "It's tough being the older sibling with an age difference of thirteen years..."

"I can only imagine." Keith stared at her in awe before pointing to himself. "Only child."

Kate nodded her head. "It's fun being a big sister, but it also comes with its sacrifices." Despite the subject matter, the smile never left her face once.

Keith curiously looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

Kate stole a sideways glance at the red-head before taking in a deep breath. "Well, as I mentioned before, I practically raised Adam myself." She started off, recounting her childhood. "I was thirteen when my mother had another kid, and I guess...my childhood ended right there. I had to grow up and be responsible for Adam, teach him right from wrong, look out for him..." She stopped herself to hold her hands up in defense. "Oh, but I'm not complaining! He's a great kid... Just taking care of him sort of took its toll on my social life."

Keith felt like he was already beginning to understand Kate more. "Is that why you've never really had any friends before now?"

Kate sadly smiled at him with the corner of her mouth. "Yeah... I've been, well, lonely..." She admitted, running a hand through her short brown hair. "I became withdrawn and anti-social, and I felt like I connected with the heroes in books I read more than I did with living, breathing people." She held the book Keith gave her out in front of her, studying the hard cover curiously.

"Is that why you like books so much?" Keith quirked an eyebrow, wanting to know more about her.

"Well, that's half the reason..." She trailed off mid-sentence, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear inconspicuously.

Keith nudged her with his elbow impatiently. "Come on, Kate. You can tell me."

She suddenly looked up into his eyes and began studying him, trying to figure out if he was really telling her the truth or not. She bit down on her lower lip and stared down at her lap, growing a little quieter. "All my life, I've been ridiculed and underestimated for my size." Kate traced the letters on the book cover with her fingertips. "I just wanted them to see me like the heroes from my books, and not question my physical capability. They never once looked at my skill, just my...physical inadequacy."

Keith sunk back into his skin a little, starting to feel a little guilty. He too was guilty of doing that to Kate. Hell, from the moment he first met her the first thing he noticed about her was how short and scrawny she was; he never once regarded her capturing skill.

"And the books?" Keith asked again, trying to keep her on track.

Kate continued to stare at the book in her hands. "I wanted to be a good Ranger and prove everyone that I could, in fact, become a hero one day. So, I drowned myself in knowledge to make up for my..." She flexed her arms and chuckled sheepishly to herself. "...well, lack of muscle."

Keith smiled at her warmly, ruffling her hair without even noticing he was doing it; it was almost as if it was second nature. He felt like he understood Kate a lot more now. Although, there were still some questions left unanswered...

"So." Keith got ready to pitch his next question; his curiosity didn't die down. "What's your goal?"

Kate embarrassingly stared down at her lap, covering her face with her hands. "It's...stupid." Her voice grew quieter and quieter, and Keith was straining to hear her.

"Oh come on!" He patted her on the back and pulled her into his side, trying to comfort her. "Now you have to tell me."

"I..." Kate sat back up straight and looked at Keith with her red cheeks. "...want to be a Top Ranger someday." When she saw the stunned look on his face, she immediately sulked and covered her eyes with her hand. "See, I told you it was stupid..."

"No, no! Not at all!" Keith immediately threw his hands up in defense, trying to clear up the misunderstanding. "I was just shocked because I want the same thing!"

Kate blinked owlishly at Keith for the longest time. "You...do?"

"Duh, of course!" Keith scoffed, throwing his head back arrogantly. "What Ranger wouldn't want to be a Top Ranger? That'd be so cool!" He honestly gave his opinion, making Kate smile involuntarily to herself.

She pondered something for a moment before working up the courage to ask Keith her question. "Hey, Keith...?"

"Hmm?" The red-head quirked an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to finish her question.

"I was just wondering..." Kate trailed off, slowly fixing her gaze on Keith's face. "What is your idea of true strength?"

He seemed to think about it for a moment and consider his answer thoughtfully. "Well... I think strength is having the power to make a difference in the world and protect those you care about with your own fists." Keith balled up his fists and looked down at them for a visual, gathering his thoughts. "That's what I think strength is." He looked off into the distance, and the breeze that blew through his hair contrasted with his glittering red eyes.

Kate smiled silently to herself. She was disappointed that she didn't share the same opinion, but honestly? She kinda respected Keith for his indifference.

"I think true strength is doing what's right, even if you don't stand a chance." Kate stared thoughtfully into his eyes as she got her point across. "It's going through life each day accomplishing the impossible and doing what no one thought you could ever do... That is what I believe true strength is."

Keith admired her confidence, but he was still a little worried about her. "Even with your confidence and bravado, I still think you're going to have a tough time becoming a Ranger, Shorty." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and he was pleased to see his comment didn't damage her.

"I know." She stared ahead at the sunset with a fierce look of determination. "But that doesn't mean I'll ever stop trying to be strong."

Keith abruptly slapped himself on the forehead and dragged his hand down his face. "Shit... I slipped up and called you Shorty again. Sorry, Kate..." He apologized sheepishly, looking for forgiveness in her eyes.

Kate bit down on her lip as she averted his gaze. "You..." She started to lose her nerve, but quickly worked up the courage to finish her thought. "...can call me Shorty, if you want." She quickly added.

Keith stared at her incredulously at the sound of that. "Wait, are you serious?"

"Always." She smirked at him, standing up from her spot on the pier and turning to walk away.

"Oi, Shorty! Wait!" Keith stood up and turned in time to watch her go. "You're not mad at me for what I said about you going to have a tough time, are you?"

"Of course not." Kate turned to smile at him over her shoulder with that bright smile of hers. "After all, I think your honesty is easily the thing I like about you most."

And with that, she was gone, and he was left standing there in awe.

Keith shook his head to himself. "She's...different. But I think that's what I like about her."

* * *

 **A discussion of true strength, ideals, and vatonageshipping fluffiness? This was a fun ice-breaker chapter to write ^-^**

 **Next up: the plot thickens, and the Stylers go missing :3...**

 **Read, review, and enjoy ^-^**


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